# Neill (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/neill/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Irish or transferred from the given name, variant of Neil.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Irish |
| Type | patronymic, formed from a father’s (or ancestor’s) given name |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 9,404 |
| US rank (2010) | 3,768 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 32,831 people |
| Change since 2000 | +5.1% (8,946 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | Naill, Neeld, Neild |

## Etymology

Variant spelling of Neil, anglicised form of Goidelic/Irish Niall.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Neill in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 93% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 1.0% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 2.9% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.7% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.4% |
| Two or more races | 1.8% |

## Where

Wikidata records people named Neill in the United States and Australia.

## People named Neill

- Lucas Neill, Australian association football player
- Noel Neill, American actress (1920-2016)
- James Neill, actor (1860-1931)
- Thomas Neill, Australian swimmer
- John R. Neill, 1877-1943; magazine and children's book illustrator
- Richard Neill, American actor and screenwriter (1875-1970)
- Trevor Daniel, American singer-songwriter

## Similar surnames

Neal, Neil, Neel, Nell, Noell, Newell, Nowell, Newhall, Noel, Neely, Noll, Neeley.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.