2000
#36,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 582
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Rare Last name
Neighbor
A surname derived from the word "neighbor", possibly referring to someone who lived nearby or next door.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,085 Americans carry the last name Neighbor. That puts it at #6,189 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 56,328 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neighbor 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.
Bearers in the US
6.1K
1 in 56,328
Census rank
#6,189
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,306 bearers of the surname Neighbor in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6189th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neighbor, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Hispanic (14.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Neighbor
The surname "Neighbor" is of English origin, deriving from the Old English word "neahgebur," which literally means "near-dweller." It first emerged as a descriptive surname, referring to someone who lived in close proximity to another person or place.
In the medieval period, the name was often spelled as "Neighebour" or "Neybour," reflecting the phonetic spelling conventions of the time. The earliest recorded instance of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1203, where a certain William Neybur is mentioned.
The name "Neighbor" can also be traced back to various place names in England, such as Navestock in Essex, which was originally known as "Navestoc" in the Domesday Book of 1086. This suggests that some individuals may have adopted the surname based on their association with particular localities.
One notable individual bearing the surname "Neighbor" was John Neighbor (c. 1515-1578), an English Protestant reformer and Bishop of Rochester during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I. He played a significant role in the establishment of the Church of England.
Another historical figure was Sir Randal Neighbor (1571-1635), an English politician and landowner who served as a Member of Parliament for Old Sarum in the early 17th century.
In the 18th century, Samuel Neighbor (1736-1799) was a prominent English engraver and cartographer, known for his intricate maps and illustrations.
Moving into the 19th century, Robert Neighbor (1815-1892) was a British architect who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal College of Surgeons and the Athenaeum Club.
Lastly, Richard Neighbor (1835-1915) was a renowned English artist and illustrator, best known for his paintings depicting scenes from British rural life and landscapes.
Throughout its history, the surname "Neighbor" has been carried by individuals from various walks of life, reflecting the diverse origins and meanings associated with this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neighbor
Among Census respondents with the surname Neighbor, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Hispanic (14.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Neighbor 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 Neighbor surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White64.5% · 3,425
- Black or African American14.9% · 790
- Hispanic or Latino14.0% · 742
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.5% · 241
- Two or more races1.5% · 79
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neighbor
Neighbor 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
#38,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 570
-12 bearers (-2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 2,426 places
2020
#6,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,306
+4,736 bearers (+830.9%)
Per 100,000 1.78
Rank movement Up 32,565 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #36,328 | 582 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #38,754 | 570 | 0.19 | -12 bearers (-2.1%) | Down 2,426 places |
| 2020 | #6,189 | 5,306 | 1.78 | +4,736 bearers (+830.9%) | Up 32,565 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 Neighbor 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 | #38,754 | #6,189 | 84.0% |
| Count | 570 | 5,306 | 830.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 1.78 | 834.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neighbor bearers went from 570 to 5,306 (+830.9% change). The surname moved up 32,565 positions in the national ranking, going from #38,754 to #6,189.
FAQ
Neighbor surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neighbor?
Name Census estimates that about 6,085 living Americans carry the surname Neighbor. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 56,328 residents.
How common is Neighbor?
Neighbor ranks #6,189 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.78 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,306 people with the surname Neighbor. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,085), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.78 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.78 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Neighbor.
Has Neighbor become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neighbor went from 570 recorded bearers to 5,306. That is an increase of 4,736 (+830.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #38,754 to #6,189.
What does the Census say about the background of Neighbor?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neighbor, the largest self-reported group is White at 64.5%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Hispanic (14.0%). 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 Neighbor in the 2020 Census, accounting for 64.5% (3,425 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neighbor appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (64.5%), Black (14.9%), Hispanic (14.0%). 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 Neighbor (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 Neighbor mean?
A surname derived from the word "neighbor", possibly referring to someone who lived nearby or next door. 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 Neighbor (1.78 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 share the surname Neighbor?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.