2000
#8,166
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,734
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.38
Rare Last name
Neu
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname meaning "new," referring to a newcomer to a community.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,686 Americans carry the last name Neu. That puts it at #7,793 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,144 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Neu 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
4.7K
1 in 73,144
Census rank
#7,793
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,086 bearers of the surname Neu in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7793rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Neu, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Neu
The surname Neu is of German origin, emerging in the late medieval period around the 13th century. It is derived from the Old High German word "niuwi" or "niuwe," meaning "new" or "fresh." This suggests that the name was likely given to someone who had recently arrived in a particular area or was involved in some new endeavor.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Neu can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Brandenburgensis, a collection of historical documents from the region of Brandenburg, dating back to the 13th century. This suggests that the name was initially prevalent in northern Germany.
During the 15th century, the name appeared in various records across southern Germany, particularly in the regions of Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. It was often associated with places like Neustadt (meaning "new town") or Neuburg ("new castle"), indicating that the name's bearers may have been among the early settlers or founders of these locations.
In the 16th century, the surname Neu gained prominence with notable figures such as Johann Neu (1525-1590), a German Protestant theologian and reformer, and Hieronymus Neu (1550-1612), a German composer and organist.
Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Christian Neu (1668-1737), a German architect and builder who was responsible for the construction of several landmark buildings in the city of Bayreuth, including the Margravial Opera House.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Neu surname spread across various regions of Europe, with records showing its presence in Switzerland, Austria, and even parts of France and the Netherlands.
One of the most illustrious figures with the surname Neu was Johann Elias Ridinger (born Johann Elias Neu) (1698-1767), a renowned German artist and printmaker known for his intricate etchings of animals and hunting scenes.
In the 19th century, the name gained further recognition with individuals like Johann Baptist Neu (1796-1856), a German Catholic theologian and philosopher, and Johann Michael Neu (1794-1876), a German physicist and inventor who contributed to the development of early electrical telegraph systems.
Throughout its history, the surname Neu has been associated with various professions, from academics and clergy to artists and architects, reflecting the diverse backgrounds of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Neu
Among Census respondents with the surname Neu, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Neu 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 Neu surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.8% · 3,749
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 146
- Two or more races2.6% · 106
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.3% · 55
- Black or African American0.5% · 22
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Neu
Neu 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
#7,933
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,170
+436 bearers (+11.7%)
Per 100,000 1.41
Rank movement Up 233 places
2020
#7,793
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,086
-84 bearers (-2.0%)
Per 100,000 1.37
Rank movement Up 140 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,166 | 3,734 | 1.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,933 | 4,170 | 1.41 | +436 bearers (+11.7%) | Up 233 places |
| 2020 | #7,793 | 4,086 | 1.37 | -84 bearers (-2.0%) | Up 140 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 Neu 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 | #7,933 | #7,793 | 1.8% |
| Count | 4,170 | 4,086 | -2.0% |
| Per 100K | 1.41 | 1.37 | -3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Neu bearers went from 4,170 to 4,086 (-2.0% change). The surname moved up 140 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,933 to #7,793.
FAQ
Neu surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Neu?
Name Census estimates that about 4,686 living Americans carry the surname Neu. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,144 residents.
How common is Neu?
Neu ranks #7,793 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,086 people with the surname Neu. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,686), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Neu.
Has Neu become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Neu went from 4,170 recorded bearers to 4,086. That is a decrease of 84 (-2.0%). In the national ranking it rose from #7,933 to #7,793.
What does the Census say about the background of Neu?
Among Census respondents with the surname Neu, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.8%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.6%) and Two or More Races (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 Neu in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.8% (3,749 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Neu appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.8%), Hispanic (3.6%), Two or More Races (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 Neu (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 Neu mean?
A German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) surname meaning "new," referring to a newcomer to a community. 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 Neu (1.37 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 Neu?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.