2000
#5,133
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,280
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.33
Rare Last name
Neri
An Italian surname derived from the given name Ranieri, meaning "wise counselor" or "decision-maker."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,846 Americans carry the last name Neri. That puts it at #4,462 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.58 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,747 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neri 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 Neri with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
8.8K
1 in 38,747
Census rank
#4,462
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,714 bearers of the surname Neri in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.58 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4462nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neri, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 58.7%. The next largest groups are White (31.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Neri
The surname Neri is of Italian origin, derived from the Latin word "niger" meaning "black" or "dark." It is believed to have originated as a nickname or descriptive name for someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in medieval Italian documents from the 12th and 13th centuries, particularly in the regions of Tuscany and Emilia-Romagna. In some cases, the name was also spelled as "Nero" or "Negri."
One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Filippo di Ser Brunellesco Neri (1377-1446), a renowned Florentine architect and sculptor who is celebrated for his innovative design of the dome of the Florence Cathedral.
Another notable figure was Antonio Neri (c. 1576-1614), an Italian priest and chemist who authored the influential work "L'Arte Vetraria" (The Art of Glass), which detailed the techniques and processes of glassmaking.
In the 16th century, the name Neri was associated with the Compagnia dei Neri, a religious confraternity in Florence dedicated to charitable works and the care of the sick and poor.
The surname Neri also has a connection to the town of Neri, located in the province of Messina, Sicily. It is possible that some bearers of the name may have originated from or had ties to this locality.
Other notable individuals with the surname Neri include:
1. Pompeo Neri (1557-1646), an Italian Catholic priest and mystic who founded the Oratory of St. Philip Neri.
2. Jacopo Neri (1572-1642), an Italian engraver and printmaker known for his etchings and engravings of landscapes and architectural subjects.
3. Michelangelo Neri (1673-1758), an Italian painter and architect who worked extensively in Rome and its surrounding areas.
4. Francesco Neri (1819-1886), an Italian painter and illustrator known for his historical and genre scenes.
5. Massimo Neri (born 1960), an Italian former professional footballer who played as a midfielder for several clubs, including Fiorentina and Parma.
Overall, the surname Neri has a rich history rooted in the Italian Renaissance and its cultural and artistic traditions, with bearers of the name contributing to various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neri
Among Census respondents with the surname Neri, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 58.7%. The next largest groups are White (31.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Neri 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 Neri surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Hispanic or Latino58.7% · 4,530
- White31.5% · 2,428
- Asian and Pacific Islander7.2% · 554
- Two or more races1.3% · 101
- Black or African American0.9% · 72
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neri
Neri 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
#4,394
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,094
+1,814 bearers (+28.9%)
Per 100,000 2.74
Rank movement Up 739 places
2020
#4,462
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,714
-380 bearers (-4.7%)
Per 100,000 2.58
Rank movement Down 68 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,133 | 6,280 | 2.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,394 | 8,094 | 2.74 | +1,814 bearers (+28.9%) | Up 739 places |
| 2020 | #4,462 | 7,714 | 2.58 | -380 bearers (-4.7%) | Down 68 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 Neri 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 | #4,394 | #4,462 | -1.5% |
| Count | 8,094 | 7,714 | -4.7% |
| Per 100K | 2.74 | 2.58 | -5.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neri bearers went from 8,094 to 7,714 (-4.7% change). The surname moved down 68 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,394 to #4,462.
FAQ
Neri surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neri?
Name Census estimates that about 8,846 living Americans carry the surname Neri. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,747 residents.
How common is Neri?
Neri ranks #4,462 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.58 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 7,714 people with the surname Neri. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,846), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.58 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.58 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Neri.
Has Neri become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neri went from 8,094 recorded bearers to 7,714. That is a decrease of 380 (-4.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,394 to #4,462.
What does the Census say about the background of Neri?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neri, the largest self-reported group is Hispanic at 58.7%. The next largest groups are White (31.5%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (7.2%). 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 Neri in the 2020 Census, accounting for 58.7% (4,530 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neri appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Hispanic (58.7%), White (31.5%), Asian/Pacific Islander (7.2%). 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 Neri (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 Neri mean?
An Italian surname derived from the given name Ranieri, meaning "wise counselor" or "decision-maker." 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 Neri (2.58 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 Neri?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.