Explore the Family Name Neck

The meaning of Neck

1. English: nickname from Middle English necke ‘neck’ (Old English hnecca), denoting someone with some peculiarity of the neck. Symon Chortneke, i.e. ‘short neck’, is probably identical with Symon Nekeles, i.e. ‘neckless’, both recorded in 1275 in the Norfolk Hundred Rolls. 2. English: perhaps also a variant of Nick. 3. German: from Neck, the name of a water sprite.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname "Neck" has seen a decrease in popularity from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, the name ranked 70,273 in popularity and was carried by approximately 260 people. By 2010, however, the rank had fallen to 87,663, with only 212 individuals bearing the surname. This represents a decline of 24.75% in rank and 18.46% in count over the decade.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#70,273	#87,663	-24.75%
Count	260	212	-18.46%
Proportion per 100k	0.1	0.07	-30%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Neck

In terms of ethnicity, the distribution associated with the surname "Neck" has also shifted somewhat between 2000 and 2010, according to Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, the majority of those with the surname identified as white (83.46%) or American Indian and Alaskan Native (12.31%). There were no recorded instances of the name among Asian/Pacific Islander, Hispanic, black, or multi-racial individuals. By 2010, while still predominantly white (72.64%), there was an increase in the proportion of American Indian and Alaskan Native individuals (20.28%) and the appearance of the surname within the multi-racial (2.83%) and Hispanic (2.36%) communities.

	2000	2010	Change
White	83.46%	72.64%	-12.96%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	12.31%	20.28%	64.74%
Two or More Races	0%	2.83%	0%
Hispanic	0%	2.36%	0%
Asian/Pacific Islander	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%