2000
#17,186
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,520
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.56
Rare Last name
Neira
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of various places named Neira, derived from a river name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,448 Americans carry the last name Neira. That puts it at #13,595 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 140,014 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neira 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
2.4K
1 in 140,014
Census rank
#13,595
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,135 bearers of the surname Neira in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13595th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neira, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.0%. The next largest groups are White (11.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Neira
The surname Neira is believed to have originated in Spain, particularly in the regions of Galicia and Asturias. It is derived from the Spanish word "neiro," which means "naranjal" or orange grove. This suggests that the name may have been associated with individuals who lived near or owned orange groves.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Neira can be traced back to the 12th century. One notable example is found in the Tumbo de Sobrado, an ancient manuscript from the Monastery of Santa María de Sobrado in Galicia, which mentions individuals with the surname Neira.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Neira. One such person was Pedro Neira Arroyo (1915-1992), a Spanish politician and member of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party (PSOE). He served as the Minister of Labor in the first democratic government after the Spanish transition to democracy.
Another prominent figure was Felisa Neira (1836-1893), a Spanish writer and educator who played a significant role in promoting women's education and advocating for their rights in the 19th century. Her works, such as "La Mujer" (The Woman), shed light on the challenges faced by women during that time.
In the realm of sports, Justo Neira (1949-2010) was a renowned Spanish footballer who played as a defender for various clubs, including Celta Vigo and Real Madrid. He also represented the Spanish national team and was part of the squad that participated in the 1978 FIFA World Cup.
The surname Neira can also be found in other Spanish-speaking countries, such as Argentina and Colombia, likely due to migration and the spread of the name over time. One notable individual from Argentina was Carlos Neira (1932-2017), a prominent architect known for his modern and innovative designs, including the Banco de la Ciudad building in Buenos Aires.
Additionally, there are records of the surname Neira appearing in various historical documents and archives, such as the Archivo Histórico Nacional in Spain, which houses a vast collection of documents dating back to the Middle Ages.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neira
Among Census respondents with the surname Neira, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.0%. The next largest groups are White (11.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Neira 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 Neira surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino87.0% · 1,857
- White11.6% · 248
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 17
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- Two or more races0.2% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neira
Neira 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
#14,139
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,125
+605 bearers (+39.8%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Up 3,047 places
2020
#13,595
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,135
+10 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 0.71
Rank movement Up 544 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,186 | 1,520 | 0.56 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #14,139 | 2,125 | 0.72 | +605 bearers (+39.8%) | Up 3,047 places |
| 2020 | #13,595 | 2,135 | 0.71 | +10 bearers (+0.5%) | Up 544 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 Neira 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 | #14,139 | #13,595 | 3.8% |
| Count | 2,125 | 2,135 | 0.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.72 | 0.71 | -0.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neira bearers went from 2,125 to 2,135 (+0.5% change). The surname moved up 544 positions in the national ranking, going from #14,139 to #13,595.
FAQ
Neira surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neira?
Name Census estimates that about 2,448 living Americans carry the surname Neira. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 140,014 residents.
How common is Neira?
Neira ranks #13,595 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.71 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,135 people with the surname Neira. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,448), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.71 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.71 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Neira.
Has Neira become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neira went from 2,125 recorded bearers to 2,135. That is an increase of 10 (+0.5%). In the national ranking it rose from #14,139 to #13,595.
What does the Census say about the background of Neira?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neira, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 87.0%. The next largest groups are White (11.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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?
Hispanic is the largest self-reported group for the surname Neira in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.0% (1,857 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neira appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (87.0%), White (11.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (0.8%). 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 Neira (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 Neira mean?
A Spanish habitational surname referring to someone from any of various places named Neira, derived from a river name. 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 Neira (0.71 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 last name Neira?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the surname Neira at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.