How common is the surname Neal?

91,694 people in the United States had the surname Neal in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,367 Americans. It ranked 337th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Neal?

Patricia Neal, American stage and film actress (1926-2010), followed by Richard Neal.

Where is the surname Neal most common?

Wikidata records people named Neal in the United States and the United Kingdom.

Is the surname Neal getting more or less common?

More common. 83,849 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 91,694 in 2010, up 9.4%.

Is Neal also a first name?

Yes. Neal is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.

The surname Neal

An Irish patronymic surname, carried by 91,694 people in the United States.

Pronounced /niːl/ 1 syllable Soundex N400 Also a first name

Every surname held by 100 or more people in the 2010 US Census, most common on the left (162,253 in all). Neal is more common than 99.8% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

A surname from Irish [in turn originating as a patronymic] derived from Niall.

Neal is a patronymic surname: formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.

One of 880 Irish surnames on this site.

Origin from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0).

How common it is

2010 US Census

There were 91,694 people named Neal in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 3,367 Americans. That is up 9.4% since 2000, when the Census counted 83,849.

#337

rank among US surnames

91,694

people in 2010

per 100,000 Americans

+9.4%

change since 2000 (was #333)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#328	Beck	93,786	3,292
#329	Lambert	93,678	3,296
#330	Miranda	93,628	3,298
#331	Byrd	92,904	3,323
#332	Craig	92,507	3,338
#333	Ayala	92,463	3,339
#334	Lowe	92,260	3,346

Who is named Neal

Race and Hispanic origin as people reported it in the 2010 Census

62% of people named Neal identified as white (not Hispanic), 32% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.6% as two or more races.

White (not Hispanic) 62%
Black (not Hispanic) 32%
Two or more races 2.6%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.2%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.7%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.6%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Neals

20 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Patricia Neal
American stage and film actress (1926-2010)
Richard Neal
American politician (born 1949)
Diane Neal
American actress, born 1975
Elise Neal
American actress, born 1966
Gary Neal
American basketball player and coach, born 1984
Lia Neal
American swimmer, Olympic athlete, world champion, born 1995
Tom Neal
American actor (1914–1972)
Edwin Neal
American actor, born 1945
John Neal
American writer (1793–1876)
Jalen Neal
American soccer player, born 2003
Lloyd Neal
American professional basketball player born in Talbotton, Georgia, born 1950
Jesse Neal
American professional wrestler, born 1980

Notable Neals come mostly from the United States (19) and the United Kingdom (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Neals

Surnames that sound like Neal

Neal has the Soundex code N400, the code US census indexes have used since the 1930s. Every surname with code N400.

Other Irish surnames

All 880 Irish surnames

Questions

Where does the surname Neal come from?: Neal is Irish in origin.
How common is the surname Neal?: 91,694 people in the United States had the surname Neal in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 3,367 Americans. It ranked 337th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Neal?: In the 2010 Census, 62% of people named Neal identified as white (not Hispanic), and 32% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Neal?: Patricia Neal, American stage and film actress (1926-2010), followed by Richard Neal.
Where is the surname Neal most common?: Wikidata records people named Neal in the United States and the United Kingdom.
How do you pronounce Neal?: Neal is /niːl/, one syllable.
What type of surname is Neal?: Neal is a patronymic surname, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name.
Is the surname Neal getting more or less common?: More common. 83,849 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 91,694 in 2010, up 9.4%.
What are other spellings of Neal?: Neals.
Is Neal also a first name?: Yes. Neal is used as a first name as well as a surname; its first-name page has the meaning and how many babies were given it.