2000
#6,514
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,806
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.78
Rare Last name
Neary
Derived from the Gaelic "Ó Néarí," meaning "descendant of Néarí," a personal name of uncertain origin.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,212 Americans carry the last name Neary. That puts it at #7,099 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 65,763 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neary 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 Neary with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
5.2K
1 in 65,763
Census rank
#7,099
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,545 bearers of the surname Neary in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7099th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neary, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Neary
The surname Neary is of Irish origin, derived from the Gaelic word "nearacht" which means "strength" or "vigor." This name is believed to have originated in the 12th or 13th century in Ireland.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Neary can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, where it is mentioned in the year 1260. The name was primarily concentrated in the counties of Galway, Mayo, and Sligo in the western part of Ireland.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the Neary surname appeared in various Irish records, including the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns and the Petty Census of Ireland from 1659. These records often spelled the name as "Neary," "Neray," or "Nerey."
In the 19th century, some notable individuals with the Neary surname included Patrick Neary (1837-1910), an Irish politician and Member of Parliament, and John Neary (1851-1922), an Irish-born American businessman and philanthropist.
Other prominent individuals with the Neary surname throughout history include:
1. Michael Neary (1770-1856), an Irish priest and educator who founded several schools in Ireland.
2. Jeremiah Neary (1825-1898), an Irish-born American soldier who fought in the American Civil War.
3. Mary Neary (1890-1975), an Irish poet and author known for her works in the Irish language.
4. Patrick Neary (1917-1998), an Irish politician and member of the European Parliament.
5. Brendan Neary (born 1940), an Irish actor and television presenter.
The name Neary has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, such as Neary's Point in County Mayo and Nearyville in County Galway.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neary
Among Census respondents with the surname Neary, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Neary 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 Neary surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 4,232
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 129
- Two or more races2.5% · 115
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 34
- Black or African American0.7% · 32
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neary
Neary 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
#6,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,844
+38 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.64
Rank movement Down 412 places
2020
#7,099
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,545
-299 bearers (-6.2%)
Per 100,000 1.52
Rank movement Down 173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,514 | 4,806 | 1.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,926 | 4,844 | 1.64 | +38 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 412 places |
| 2020 | #7,099 | 4,545 | 1.52 | -299 bearers (-6.2%) | Down 173 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 Neary 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 | #6,926 | #7,099 | -2.5% |
| Count | 4,844 | 4,545 | -6.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.64 | 1.52 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neary bearers went from 4,844 to 4,545 (-6.2% change). The surname moved down 173 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,926 to #7,099.
FAQ
Neary surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neary?
Name Census estimates that about 5,212 living Americans carry the surname Neary. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 65,763 residents.
How common is Neary?
Neary ranks #7,099 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.52 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,545 people with the surname Neary. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,212), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.52 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.52 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Neary.
Has Neary become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neary went from 4,844 recorded bearers to 4,545. That is a decrease of 299 (-6.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,926 to #7,099.
What does the Census say about the background of Neary?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neary, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Neary in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (4,232 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neary appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Neary (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 Neary mean?
Derived from the Gaelic "Ó Néarí," meaning "descendant of Néarí," a personal name of uncertain origin. 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 Neary (1.52 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 Neary?
See how common the surname Neary is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.