Neal Stephenson
There are approximately 6 people named Neal Stephenson living in the United States today. That makes this name combination very rare, occurring at a rate of about 1 in 57,125,723 Americans.
This estimate combines SSA birth records for the first name Neal with Census Bureau frequency data for the surname Stephenson. Below you will find a breakdown of both names, including popularity trends, gender data, and ancestry information.
Expected bearers
6
1 in 57,125,723
Named Neal
37K
Alive today
Named Stephenson
55K
Alive today
US population
343M
Denominator
Estimated living: 37K
Rarity: Uncommon
Gender: Male
Peak year: 1959
Average age: 56
Estimated bearers: 55K
Rarity: Uncommon
Census rank: #733
Per 100K: 16.15
Top ancestry: White (80.1%)
First name trend
Neal: popularity over time
Year-by-year SSA birth registrations for the first name Neal. The peak year was 1959 with 1,223 births. The average person named Neal today is 56 years old.
Babies born per year
Ethnicity
Ancestry of the Stephenson surname
Self-reported race and ethnicity breakdown for people with the surname Stephenson, from the 2010 US Census Bureau. The largest group is White at 80.1%.
- White80.1%
- Black or African American14.0%
- Hispanic or Latino2.6%
- Two or more races2.0%
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6%
Methodology
How we calculated this
The first name Neal has a living-bearer frequency of 0.0109% of the US population, based on 37,277 estimated living Americans carrying this first name (from SSA birth records going back to 1880, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables).
The surname Stephenson appears at a rate of 16.15 per 100,000 residents in the 2010 Census Bureau surname file, which translates to a frequency of 0.0162%.
Multiplying these two independent frequencies against the current US population of 342,754,338 gives an expected count of approximately 6 people with the full name Neal Stephenson. This assumes statistical independence between first and last names, which is a simplification but produces reasonable estimates for most combinations.
Related
Other people named Neal
Related
Other people with the surname Stephenson
FAQ
Neal Stephenson: questions and answers
How many people are named Neal Stephenson?
We estimate approximately 6 people in the United States share the full name Neal Stephenson. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 Americans. This is calculated by combining the first-name frequency (0.0109%) with the surname frequency (16.15 per 100K) against the current US population.
How rare is the name Neal Stephenson?
We classify Neal Stephenson as "Very Rare". About 1 in 57,125,723 Americans share this exact first and last name combination.
Is Neal a male or female name?
Neal is predominantly male. Out of 55,217 total SSA registrations, 99.5% were male and 0.5% were female. See the full Neal profile for detailed gender data.
Where does this data come from?
First-name data comes from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files (1880 to 2024). Surname data comes from the 2010 US Census Bureau decennial surname tables. Living-bearer estimates use CDC actuarial life tables to adjust for mortality. Read the full methodology.