2000
#118,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 136
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Neyhard
A surname derived from a German location or topographic feature indicating a newly-cultivated area.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Neyhard. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neyhard 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Neyhard in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neyhard, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Neyhard
The surname NEYHARD is believed to have originated in Germany during the Middle Ages. It is thought to be derived from the Old High German words "nī" meaning "new" and "hart" meaning "hardy" or "brave." As such, the name likely referred to a person who was considered a newcomer or stranger, but also someone who was hardy or courageous.
The earliest recorded instances of the name can be traced back to the 13th century in various regions of what is now modern-day Germany. One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Neyhard, a landowner and farmer who lived in the town of Bamberg in the late 1200s.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various legal documents and records from the Holy Roman Empire. For example, a certain Konrad Neyhard is mentioned in a land dispute in the region of Saxony in 1342.
During the 15th and 16th centuries, the name NEYHARD became more widespread throughout German-speaking regions of Europe. One notable bearer of the name was Hans Neyhard, a master goldsmith who crafted intricate pieces for the nobility in the city of Nuremberg during the late 1400s.
In the 17th century, the NEYHARD name can be found in records from various parts of Germany, as well as neighboring regions such as Austria and Switzerland. One prominent individual was Johann Neyhard, a Protestant theologian and scholar who lived in Strasbourg from 1614 to 1679.
As the centuries progressed, the NEYHARD surname continued to be represented across different parts of Europe, albeit with some variations in spelling such as Neihart, Neihardt, or Neuhardt. Notable bearers of the name in more recent times include the German-American author and poet John G. Neihardt (1881-1973), best known for his works on Native American culture and his epic poem "A Cycle of the West."
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neyhard
Among Census respondents with the surname Neyhard, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Neyhard 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 Neyhard surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.6% · 106
- Two or more races2.7% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neyhard
Neyhard 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
#150,452
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 109
-27 bearers (-19.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 32,216 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
+3 bearers (+2.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,498 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #118,236 | 136 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #150,452 | 109 | 0.04 | -27 bearers (-19.9%) | Down 32,216 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.8%) | Up 2,498 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 Neyhard 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 | #150,452 | #147,954 | 1.7% |
| Count | 109 | 112 | 2.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neyhard bearers went from 109 to 112 (+2.8% change). The surname moved up 2,498 positions in the national ranking, going from #150,452 to #147,954.
FAQ
Neyhard surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neyhard?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Neyhard. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Neyhard?
Neyhard ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Neyhard. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Neyhard.
Has Neyhard become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neyhard went from 109 recorded bearers to 112. That is an increase of 3 (+2.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #150,452 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Neyhard?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neyhard, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.6%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (1.8%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Neyhard in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.6% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neyhard appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.6%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (1.8%). 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 Neyhard (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 Neyhard mean?
A surname derived from a German location or topographic feature indicating a newly-cultivated area. 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 Neyhard (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 are called Neyhard?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the surname Neyhard on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.