How common is the surname Neil?

10,228 people in the United States had the surname Neil in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 30,186 Americans. It ranked 3,496th of 162,253 surnames.

Who is the most famous person named Neil?

Vince Neil, American singer, followed by Fred Neil.

Where is the surname Neil most common?

Wikidata records people named Neil in the United States and Canada.

Is the surname Neil getting more or less common?

More common. 9,209 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 10,228 in 2010, up 11%.

Is Neil also a first name?

Yes. Neil 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 Neil

An Irish surname, carried by 10,228 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). Neil is more common than 97.8% of them.

Origin

Irish origin

Anglicized form of Goidelic/Irish Niall. Doublet of Niall.

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 10,228 people named Neil in the United States in 2010, about 1 in every 30,186 Americans. That is up 11% since 2000, when the Census counted 9,209.

#3,496

rank among US surnames

10,228

people in 2010

3.5

per 100,000 Americans

+11.1%

change since 2000 (was #3,544)

Rank	Surname	People	1 in
#3,488	Israel	10,245	30,136
#3,489	Crooks	10,244	30,139
#3,490	Searcy	10,243	30,142
#3,491	Logsdon	10,242	30,145
#3,492	Culbertson	10,240	30,151
#3,493	Glaser	10,235	30,166
#3,494	Weems	10,231	30,177

Who is named Neil

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

80% of people named Neil identified as white (not Hispanic), 14% as Black (not Hispanic) and 2.5% as Hispanic or Latino (any race).

White (not Hispanic) 80%
Black (not Hispanic) 14%
Hispanic or Latino (any race) 2.5%
Two or more races 2.1%
Asian and Pacific Islander 1.1%
American Indian and Alaska Native 0.5%

Compare: most common surnames among white Americans.

Famous Neils

4 notable people on Wikidata, most written-about first

Vince Neil
American singer, born 1961
Fred Neil
American recording artist, singer, songwriter (1936-2001)
Andrea Neil
Association football player, born 1971
Eleanor Coppola
American documentary filmmaker (1936–2024)

Notable Neils come mostly from the United States (3) and Canada (1).

Spellings and sound-alikes

Useful when a record has your ancestor under another spelling

Variant spellings

Surnames that sound like Neil

Neil 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 Neil come from?: Anglicized form of Goidelic/Irish Niall. Doublet of Niall.
How common is the surname Neil?: 10,228 people in the United States had the surname Neil in the 2010 Census, about 1 in every 30,186 Americans. It ranked 3,496th of 162,253 surnames.
What ethnicity is the surname Neil?: In the 2010 Census, 80% of people named Neil identified as white (not Hispanic), and 14% as Black (not Hispanic).
Who is the most famous person named Neil?: Vince Neil, American singer, followed by Fred Neil.
Where is the surname Neil most common?: Wikidata records people named Neil in the United States and Canada.
How do you pronounce Neil?: Neil is /niːl/, one syllable.
Is the surname Neil getting more or less common?: More common. 9,209 people carried it in the 2000 Census and 10,228 in 2010, up 11%.
What are other spellings of Neil?: Neal, Neale and Neill.
Is Neil also a first name?: Yes. Neil 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.