How Many People Are Named Neal?
An estimated 37,277 people in the United States have the first name Neal. It is predominantly male (99.5%). The average bearer is 56 years old, and Neal peaked in popularity in 1959 with 1,223 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Neal as a first name in the United States, including gender data, a year-by-year popularity timeline going back to 1880, a decade breakdown, and state-by-state birth registrations. You can also check how many people share the full name Neal paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- While Neal is overwhelmingly male, 257 female births have been registered with this name since 1880.
- Neal has fallen dramatically from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are less than 5% of what they were at the name's height.
Estimated Living Americans
37,277
About 1 in 9,195 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Uncommon
Predicted Gender
Male
99.5% confidence
Average Age
56
years old
Peak Year
1959
1,223 births
Total Registered
55,217
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Neal
Neal is almost exclusively a male name. Out of 55,217 total births registered, 99.5% were male.
Neal as a male name
Ranked #2,002 in 2024
77 male births in 2024
Peak: 1959 (1,223 births)
Neal as a female name
Ranked #12,202 in 1986
5 female births in 1986
Peak: 1912 (12 births)
Neal: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Neal span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 1950s, when 10,754 babies were registered. Neal has declined significantly from its peak in the 1950s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Neal by Decade
How has Neal tracked across different eras? The table below groups all SSA birth registrations into 10-year periods, with separate male and female counts. The colored bar shows each decade's share relative to the peak.
| Decade | Total | Male | Female | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1880s | 361 | 361 | 0 | |
| 1890s | 373 | 373 | 0 | |
| 1900s | 472 | 456 | 16 | |
| 1910s | 1,998 | 1,943 | 55 | |
| 1920s | 3,924 | 3,858 | 66 | |
| 1930s | 4,119 | 4,083 | 36 | |
| 1940s | 6,175 | 6,158 | 17 | |
| 1950s | 10,754 | 10,733 | 21 | |
| 1960s | 9,378 | 9,360 | 18 | |
| 1970s | 6,029 | 6,011 | 18 | |
| 1980s | 5,436 | 5,426 | 10 | |
| 1990s | 3,143 | 3,143 | 0 | |
| 2000s | 1,369 | 1,369 | 0 | |
| 2010s | 1,190 | 1,190 | 0 | |
| 2020s | 496 | 496 | 0 | |
Neal by State
Birth registrations for Neal span all 50 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in New York, California, Illinois. The lowest are in Alaska, Vermont, Delaware. On average, about 986 Neals were registered per state.
Neal + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Neal as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Neal
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
Neal: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Neal?
We estimate approximately 37,277 people named Neal are alive in the United States today. This is based on SSA birth records from 1880 to 2024, adjusted for mortality using CDC life tables. About 1 in 9,195 Americans share this first name.
Is Neal a common name?
Neal is classified as "Uncommon" and is more popular than 99% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 55,217 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Neal most popular?
Neal reached peak popularity in 1959, when 1,223 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Neal is approximately 56 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Neal a male name?
Neal is predominantly male. 99.5% of people with this name are male. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Neal Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Neal Smith, Neal Johnson, Neal Williams. You can also search any combination on our homepage.
Where does this data come from?
Our estimates use Social Security Administration birth records (1880 to 2024), adjusted for survival using CDC 2023 life tables broken down by sex. The U.S. population figure (342,754,338) is from the Census Bureau's July 2025 estimate. Full methodology.
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