Find out how popular the last name Neet is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Neet.

Neet, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Neet surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Neet in America

Neet is the 52619th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Neet surname appeared 394 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Neet.

We can also compare 2010 data for Neet to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Neet

The surname "NEET" is believed to have originated in England, specifically in the northern counties of Yorkshire and Northumberland. It is thought to have derived from the Old English word "nett," meaning "neat" or "tidy," which was likely used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was well-groomed or orderly.

The earliest known record of the name dates back to the late 13th century, with a reference to a "John le Neet" in the Yorkshire Assize Rolls of 1297. This suggests that the name had already been established as a surname by that time.

In the 14th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as "Nete," "Nette," and "Neet," reflecting the variations in spelling common during that era. One notable mention is in the Rotuli Parliamentorum (Rolls of Parliament) from 1319, where a "William Nete" is listed as a landholder in Northumberland.

The surname "NEET" has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir Thomas Neet (c. 1450-1519), a wealthy merchant and alderman of London during the reign of Henry VIII. Another was Richard Neet (1590-1672), an English clergyman and author who published several theological works.

In the 18th century, John Neet (1719-1781) was a prominent lawyer and landowner in Gloucestershire, while his contemporary, William Neet (1725-1799), was a successful businessman and philanthropist in Yorkshire.

One of the most famous bearers of the name was the English writer and poet, George Neet (1802-1888), whose works included several novels and collections of poetry. His contemporary, Sir Edward Neet (1819-1892), was a renowned architect and civil engineer who designed several notable buildings in London.

Throughout its history, the surname "NEET" has also been associated with various place names in England, such as Neet's Farm in Derbyshire and Neet's Green in Cheshire, reflecting the geographical spread of the name over time.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Neet

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Neet.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Neet was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Neet has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Neet was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Neet, please contact us.

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