2000
#117,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Neeves
A surname originating from an old English or Anglo-Norman word meaning "nephew."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 135 Americans carry the last name Neeves. That puts it at #143,511 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,538,921 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neeves surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Neeves with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
135
1 in 2,538,921
Census rank
#143,511
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
118
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 118 bearers of the surname Neeves in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 143511th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neeves, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Neeves
The surname Neeves is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "neefe," meaning "nephew" or "niece." This suggests that the name was initially a descriptive nickname referring to someone's familial relationship.
In the early medieval period, the Neeves surname was concentrated primarily in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire, where it gained prominence. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, which document a Richard Neve in Buckinghamshire.
As time passed, the surname underwent various spelling variations, including Neave, Neve, Neeve, and Neevis, reflecting the inconsistencies in record-keeping during the Middle Ages. These variations were often influenced by regional dialects and the interpretation of scribes.
The Neeves surname has a notable association with the Domesday Book, the comprehensive survey commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name is mentioned in connection with landholdings in several counties, including Cambridgeshire and Norfolk.
One of the earliest prominent figures bearing the Neeves surname was Sir Thomas Neville (1484-1542), a notable English courtier and politician during the reign of Henry VIII. He served as a member of Parliament and held positions of influence within the Tudor court.
Another individual of historical significance was Richard Neville (1428-1471), known as the Kingmaker, who played a pivotal role in the Wars of the Roses. As the Earl of Warwick, he was a powerful nobleman and a key figure in the conflict between the Houses of York and Lancaster.
In the realm of literature, the Neeves surname found recognition through the works of Henry Neville (1620-1694), an English politician and author. His most notable work, "The Isle of Pines," was a significant contribution to the utopian fiction genre.
The Neeves name also gained prominence in the field of architecture through the accomplishments of Ralph Neville (1733-1794), an English architect known for his neoclassical designs. He was responsible for the construction of notable buildings such as the Holkham Hall in Norfolk.
Throughout the centuries, the Neeves surname has been associated with various place names and locations, including Neville's Cross in County Durham, which commemorates a significant battle during the Scottish Wars of Independence in 1346.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neeves
Among Census respondents with the surname Neeves, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Neeves bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Neeves surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.4% · 102
- Hispanic or Latino9.3% · 11
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.7% · 2
- Two or more races1.7% · 2
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neeves
Neeves appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#146,201
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
-24 bearers (-17.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 28,663 places
2020
#143,511
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 118
+5 bearers (+4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,690 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #117,538 | 137 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #146,201 | 113 | 0.04 | -24 bearers (-17.5%) | Down 28,663 places |
| 2020 | #143,511 | 118 | 0.04 | +5 bearers (+4.4%) | Up 2,690 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Neeves surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #146,201 | #143,511 | 1.8% |
| Count | 113 | 118 | 4.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -1.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neeves bearers went from 113 to 118 (+4.4% change). The surname moved up 2,690 positions in the national ranking, going from #146,201 to #143,511.
FAQ
Neeves surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neeves?
Name Census estimates that about 135 living Americans carry the surname Neeves. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,538,921 residents.
How common is Neeves?
Neeves ranks #143,511 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 118 people with the surname Neeves. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (135), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Neeves.
Has Neeves become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neeves went from 113 recorded bearers to 118. That is an increase of 5 (+4.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #146,201 to #143,511.
What does the Census say about the background of Neeves?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neeves, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (9.3%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Neeves in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.4% (102 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neeves appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.4%), Hispanic (9.3%), Asian/Pacific Islander (1.7%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Neeves (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Neeves mean?
A surname originating from an old English or Anglo-Norman word meaning "nephew." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Neeves (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Neeves?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.