2000
#22,688
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,057
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.39
Rare Last name
Neathery
An English habitational surname derived from a place called Nethery in Somerset.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,187 Americans carry the last name Neathery. That puts it at #25,086 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.35 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 288,757 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neathery 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
1.2K
1 in 288,757
Census rank
#25,086
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,035 bearers of the surname Neathery in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.35 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 25086th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neathery, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Neathery
The surname Neathery is believed to have originated in England, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is thought to have derived from an Old English or Anglo-Saxon word referring to a location or geographical feature, possibly related to a valley or low-lying area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of lands and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This suggests that the name was already established in parts of England by the late 11th century.
During the Middle Ages, variations of the name such as Nether, Netherton, and Netherby appeared in various regions across England, often associated with specific place names or localities. These variations likely evolved from the same linguistic root as Neathery.
In the 16th century, records show the presence of individuals bearing the name Neathery in the counties of Yorkshire and Lancashire. One notable figure from this period was John Neathery, a yeoman farmer born in 1542 in the village of Kettlewell, Yorkshire.
As people began to migrate and settle in different parts of the country, the name Neathery spread to other regions. In the 17th century, there are records of Neatherys residing in the counties of Devon and Somerset in the southwest of England.
One prominent individual from this era was Sir William Neathery (1612-1679), a wealthy landowner and member of the gentry class in Devonshire. He played a role in the English Civil War, initially supporting the Royalist cause before switching allegiance to the Parliamentarians.
Moving into the 18th and 19th centuries, the Neathery name continued to be well-represented across various parts of England, with some individuals achieving notable accomplishments. For example, Robert Neathery (1788-1865) was a renowned architect who designed several churches and public buildings in the city of Bath.
Another notable figure was Elizabeth Neathery (1827-1901), a philanthropist and social reformer who dedicated her life to improving living conditions for the poor and advocating for women's rights.
While the surname Neathery may not be among the most common in modern times, its historical roots and presence across different regions of England over several centuries demonstrate its enduring legacy as a quintessentially English surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neathery
Among Census respondents with the surname Neathery, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Neathery 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 Neathery surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.0% · 931
- Two or more races4.3% · 45
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 29
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.9% · 20
- Black or African American0.6% · 6
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neathery
Neathery 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
#23,065
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,108
+51 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.38
Rank movement Down 377 places
2020
#25,086
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,035
-73 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.35
Rank movement Down 2,021 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #22,688 | 1,057 | 0.39 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #23,065 | 1,108 | 0.38 | +51 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 377 places |
| 2020 | #25,086 | 1,035 | 0.35 | -73 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 2,021 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 Neathery 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 | #23,065 | #25,086 | -8.8% |
| Count | 1,108 | 1,035 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.38 | 0.35 | -8.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neathery bearers went from 1,108 to 1,035 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 2,021 positions in the national ranking, going from #23,065 to #25,086.
FAQ
Neathery surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neathery?
Name Census estimates that about 1,187 living Americans carry the surname Neathery. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 288,757 residents.
How common is Neathery?
Neathery ranks #25,086 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.35 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 1,035 people with the surname Neathery. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,187), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.35 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.35 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 Neathery.
Has Neathery become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neathery went from 1,108 recorded bearers to 1,035. That is a decrease of 73 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #23,065 to #25,086.
What does the Census say about the background of Neathery?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neathery, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.3%) and Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Neathery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.0% (931 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neathery appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.0%), Two or More Races (4.3%), Hispanic (2.8%). 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 Neathery (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 Neathery mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place called Nethery in Somerset. 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 Neathery (0.35 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 Americans have the surname Neathery?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.