Explore the Family Name Nealy

The meaning of Nealy

Irish: shortened and altered form of McNeilly.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Nealy in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Nealy has seen a notable increase from 2000 to 2010. In the year 2000, Nealy was ranked as the 7959th most common surname, with 3856 individuals bearing the name. This represented a proportion of 1.43 per 100,000 people. By 2010, the surname had climbed to the 7426th spot in rank, with a count of 4485 people, which equated to a proportion of 1.52 per 100,000 people. This change represented an increase of 6.7% in rank and 16.31% in count over a span of ten years.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#7,959	#7,426	6.7%
Count	3,856	4,485	16.31%
Proportion per 100k	1.43	1.52	6.29%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Nealy

The ethnic identity associated with the surname Nealy also shifted between 2000 and 2010, according to the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, the majority of individuals with the surname identified as Black (56.38%), followed by White (39.45%). Smaller percentages identified as being of Two or more races (2.20%), Hispanic (1.35%), American Indian and Alaskan Native (0.47%), and Asian/Pacific Islander (0.16%). By 2010, while the majority still identified as Black (57.97%), there were noticeable changes in other ethnic identities. There was a decline in those identifying as White to 36.01%, but increases were noted in those identifying as Hispanic (2.16%) and of Two or more races (3.26%). The proportion of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased slightly to 0.18%, while that of American Indian and Alaskan Native dropped to 0.42%.

	2000	2010	Change
Black	56.38%	57.97%	2.82%
White	39.45%	36.01%	-8.72%
Two or More Races	2.2%	3.26%	48.18%
Hispanic	1.35%	2.16%	60%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0.47%	0.42%	-10.64%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0.16%	0.18%	12.5%