The McNeal surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 20,778 people carried this name — #1,723 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 14,200 people counted. That is up 8% from 19,321 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

Where the name comes from

The origin of the McNeal surname

Variant of McNeil.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McNeal» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

In 1790, McNeal was counted together with McNiel: 168 families in all.

Each family is counted by its head. About 932 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: McNiel, McKneal, McNeal, Macneal, McNeale, McNeall, Mcneel, McNeel, McNeele, McNeell, McNeil, MacNeil, McNeile, McNeill, McNiell. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

North Carolina 64
Pennsylvania 26
New York 21
South Carolina 13
New Hampshire 11
Virginia 11
Connecticut 7
Vermont 5
Massachusetts 5
Maryland 4
Rhode Island 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 253 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

McNeal in American newspapers,
1890–1900.

Newspaper page from The Bolivar Bulletin carrying the name McNeal
The Bolivar Bulletin 1891-06-19
Newspaper page from The Bolivar Bulletin carrying the name McNeal
The Bolivar Bulletin 1900-12-07
Newspaper page from The Bolivar Bulletin carrying the name McNeal
The Bolivar Bulletin 1890-06-27

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 50,530 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McNeal in Australian newspapers,
1840s–1960s.

622 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McNeal. The most, 114, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Victoria, at 1.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Victoria 201
New South Wales 150
South Australia 97
Queensland 91
Tasmania 40
Western Australia 36
ACT (Canberra) 2

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McNeal.

Who carried it

People named McNeal,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Bobby McNeal 1891–1956 · association football player
  • Robert H. McNeal 1930–1988 · historian
  • Harry McNeal 1877–1945 · baseball player
  • Clyde McNeal 1928–1996 · baseball player
  • Mark Joseph McNeal 1874– · university teacher

Wikidata (CC0).

In the public record

People named McNeal,
in the records of 4 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States1,271 records

1,271 records of the McNeal name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 597
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 348
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 116
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 111
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 42
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 33
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 16
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 3
  • Sacramento County historic burials 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 2
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Harold V. McNeal

    Born 1917 in Arkansas. Enlisted 1942 at San Francisco, California; machine shop worker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1989, buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Michael E. McNeal

    Born 1947; from Geiger Heights, Washington. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1967 in Tay Ninh, South Vietnam.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jane McNeal

    Arrived at New York in 1848 aboard the New York from Liverpool, aged 18; laborer. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain)

Showing 3 of 1,271 records for McNeal in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia80 records

80 records of the McNeal name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 41
  • Tasmanian Names Index 22
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 6
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 5
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 5
  • State Library of Western Australia indexes 1
  1. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Mary McNeal

    Died 1862 in Campbell Town, Tasmania, aged 52. Will registered in Tasmania in 1862.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Hector McNeal

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Hercules, arriving 1802; ticket of leave 1827. Native of Antrim Co.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm McNeal

    Arrived in Victoria in 1859 aboard the Saldanha, aged 36; Irish.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 80 records for McNeal in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Canada50 records

50 records of the McNeal name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 41
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 5
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 2
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 2
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record David McNeal

    Killed in 1873 at the Drummond Mine, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Jennifer Clair McNeal

    Died 1975; buried at Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver, British Columbia.

    City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver.
  3. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Edward George McNeal

    Died in service in 1944.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.

Showing 3 of 50 records for McNeal in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0).

United Kingdom4 records

4 records of the McNeal name in the United Kingdom
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 3
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Alexander McNeal

    Buried in 1802 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 36.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. S. McNeal

    Border Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth McNeal

    Buried in 1803 at St James's burial ground, Euston, London, aged 83.

    MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

Showing 3 of 4 records for McNeal in the United Kingdom.

Counts: MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McNeal.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McNeal is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the McNeal volume
Scroll to Top