How Many People Are Named Neely?
An estimated 2,181 people in the United States have the first name Neely. It is used for both genders, with 84.9% female. The average bearer is 31 years old, and Neely peaked in popularity in 1974 with 82 births that year.
Below you will find a full statistical profile of Neely 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 Neely paired with any surname.
Key Insights
- Neely has undergone a significant gender shift. Originally given predominantly to boys, it is now more commonly a girls' name.
Estimated Living Americans
2,181
About 1 in 157,155 people in the U.S.
Rarity
Rare
Predicted Gender
Female
84.9% confidence
Average Age
31
years old
Peak Year
1974
82 births
Total Registered
2,593
since 1880
Gender Distribution for Neely
Neely is predominantly female (84.9%), though 391 male births have been registered. It functions as a unisex name for a small percentage of bearers.
Neely as a male name
Ranked #9,817 in 1994
5 male births in 1994
Peak: 1919 (17 births)
Neely as a female name
Ranked #5,541 in 2024
23 female births in 2024
Peak: 1974 (75 births)
Neely: Popularity Over Time
SSA records for Neely span from the 1880s to the 2020s, covering 15 decades of naming data. The most popular decade for this name was the 2000s, when 534 babies were registered. Neely has declined significantly from its peak in the 2000s. Recent registrations are a fraction of what they were at the name's height.
Neely by Decade
How has Neely 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.
Neely by State
Birth registrations for Neely span all 14 states and territories in the SSA database. The highest counts are in Texas, Tennessee, Mississippi. The lowest are in Oklahoma, Louisiana, Indiana. On average, about 36 Neelys were registered per state.
Neely + Last Name Combinations
How many people share a full name with Neely as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Names Similar to Neely
Other first names starting with N with a similar number of bearers.
Neely: Questions and Answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Neely?
We estimate approximately 2,181 people named Neely 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 157,155 Americans share this first name.
Is Neely a common name?
Neely is classified as "Rare" and is more popular than 94% of all first names in the SSA database. A total of 2,593 births have been registered with this name since 1880.
When was Neely most popular?
Neely reached peak popularity in 1974, when 82 babies were given this name. The average age of a living person named Neely is approximately 31 years old, reflecting when the name was most commonly given.
Is Neely a female name?
Neely is predominantly female. 84.9% of people with this name are female. See the gender breakdown above for full details.
How many Neely Smiths are there?
To find how many people share a specific full name, we combine first name and surname frequencies. Try: Neely Smith, Neely Johnson, Neely 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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