2000
#31,848
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 685
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.25
Very Rare Last name
Neylon
An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Niallain, meaning "descendant of Niall".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 824 Americans carry the last name Neylon. That puts it at #34,023 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.24 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 415,964 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neylon 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 Neylon with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
824
1 in 415,964
Census rank
#34,023
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
719
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 719 bearers of the surname Neylon in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.24 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 34023rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neylon, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Neylon
The surname Neylon originated in Ireland, specifically in the southern counties of Cork and Kerry. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "Niallón," meaning "champion" or "descendant of Niall." This name can be traced back to the 10th century and is believed to be associated with the Uí Néill dynasty, a prominent Irish clan that ruled portions of Ireland for several centuries.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Neylon can be found in the Annals of Inisfallen, a medieval Irish chronicle dating back to the 12th century. The annals mention a person named "Mael Sechnaill Ua Nialláin," who was the King of Cennéidigh (a territory in modern-day County Kerry) in the late 11th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Neylon was particularly prevalent in the baronies of Magunihy and Tullagh in County Kerry. Several Neylon families were prominent landowners and played a significant role in the local history of the region.
Notable individuals with the surname Neylon include Sir Nicholas Neylon (1554-1623), an Irish soldier and politician who served as a member of the Irish Parliament and fought in the Nine Years' War against the English. Another prominent figure was John Neylon (1730-1797), an Irish Catholic priest and educator who founded the prestigious Neylon Academy in County Cork.
In the 19th century, several Neylons made their mark in various fields. Patrick Neylon (1810-1881) was an Irish Catholic bishop who served as the Bishop of Dromore from 1856 until his death. Michael Neylon (1834-1906) was an Irish-American lawyer and judge who served as a justice on the Supreme Court of New York.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Neylon was Charles Neylon (1881-1958), an Irish chemist who pioneered the development of synthetic fibers, particularly nylon. His groundbreaking work on nylon revolutionized the textile industry and earned him numerous accolades, including induction into the National Inventors Hall of Fame.
While the name Neylon is primarily associated with Ireland, it has also been found in other parts of the world due to Irish emigration. However, its origins can be traced back to the ancient Irish clans and their descendants who carried this distinctive surname through the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neylon
Among Census respondents with the surname Neylon, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Neylon 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 Neylon surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 635
- Black or African American7.1% · 51
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 19
- Two or more races1.0% · 7
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neylon
Neylon 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
#36,204
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 619
-66 bearers (-9.6%)
Per 100,000 0.21
Rank movement Down 4,356 places
2020
#34,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 719
+100 bearers (+16.2%)
Per 100,000 0.24
Rank movement Up 2,181 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #31,848 | 685 | 0.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #36,204 | 619 | 0.21 | -66 bearers (-9.6%) | Down 4,356 places |
| 2020 | #34,023 | 719 | 0.24 | +100 bearers (+16.2%) | Up 2,181 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 Neylon 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 | #36,204 | #34,023 | 6.0% |
| Count | 619 | 719 | 16.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.21 | 0.24 | 14.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neylon bearers went from 619 to 719 (+16.2% change). The surname moved up 2,181 positions in the national ranking, going from #36,204 to #34,023.
FAQ
Neylon surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neylon?
Name Census estimates that about 824 living Americans carry the surname Neylon. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 415,964 residents.
How common is Neylon?
Neylon ranks #34,023 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.24 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 719 people with the surname Neylon. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (824), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.24 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.24 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 Neylon.
Has Neylon become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neylon went from 619 recorded bearers to 719. That is an increase of 100 (+16.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #36,204 to #34,023.
What does the Census say about the background of Neylon?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neylon, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Black (7.1%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Neylon in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (635 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neylon appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Black (7.1%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Neylon (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 Neylon mean?
An anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Niallain, meaning "descendant of Niall". 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 Neylon (0.24 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 Neylon?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Neylon on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.