The McNeely surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 11,350 people carried this name — #3,183 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 26,000 people counted. That is up 1% from 11,235 in 2000.

Look up another surname

Share

What the name means

The meaning of the McNeely surname

Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic and Northern Irish Mac an Fhilidh (“son of the poet”), from fili (“poet, seer”).

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «McNeely» (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

22 families named McNeely, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 130 people lived in those households, 5.9 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: McNeely, McKnelly, McNeally, McNealy, McNelly. 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 9
Pennsylvania 4
South Carolina 4
Virginia 2
Massachusetts 1
New York 1
Maryland 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

McNeely in American newspapers,
1916–1924.

Newspaper page from The Lancaster News carrying the name McNeely
The Lancaster News 1916-01-04
Newspaper page from Seward Daily Gateway carrying the name McNeely
Seward Daily Gateway 1924-10-11
Newspaper page from The Monroe Journal carrying the name McNeely
The Monroe Journal 1919-05-06

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 35,216 pages in all carry the name.

In print

McNeely in Australian newspapers,
1880s–1960s.

582 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss McNeely. The most, 129, date from the 1890s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in New South Wales, at 2.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 474
Queensland 60
South Australia 12
Victoria 12
ACT (Canberra) 11
Western Australia 8
Tasmania 4

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

Who carried it

People named McNeely,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Clifton McNeely
    Clifton McNeely 1919–2003 · basketball coach
  • Thompson W. McNeely
    Thompson W. McNeely 1835–1921 · politician
  • Earl McNeely
    Earl McNeely 1898–1971 · baseball player
  • Big Jay McNeely 1927–2018 · jazz musician
  • Jim McNeely 1949–2025 · jazz musician
  • Marian Hurd McNeely 1877–1930 · children's writer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0.

In the public record

People named McNeely,
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 States819 records

819 records of the McNeely name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 389
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 172
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 150
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 44
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 36
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 21
  • Irish Famine arrivals at New York, 1846–1851 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 3
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Henry McNeely

    Born 1921 in North Carolina. Enlisted 1942 at Fort Bragg; sales clerk from Mecklemburg County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1992, buried at York Memorial Park, Charlotte, North Carolina.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary McNeely

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Majestic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 28; servant. From Dublin, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Guy W. McNeely

    Born 1930; from Cabell County, West Virginia. U.S. Army, light weapons infantryman; killed in action 1950 in South Korea.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain)

Showing 3 of 819 records for McNeely in the United States.

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

Australia41 records

41 records of the McNeely name in Australia
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 30
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 7
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 4
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jane McNeely

    Arrived in Queensland in 1882 aboard the Stirlingshire, aged 19.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Wm McNeely

    Arrived in Victoria in 1862 aboard the Donald McKay, aged 23.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record John Herbert McNeely

    Of Richmond, New South Wales; died 1937.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)

Showing 3 of 41 records for McNeely in Australia.

Counts: Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Canada15 records

15 records of the McNeely name in Canada
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 6
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 3
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 2
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Robert William McNeely

    Buried in 1985 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 60.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Julia A. McNeely

    Died 1868 in Harbourville, Kings, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  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 Alexander Duncan McNeely

    Died in service in 1917.

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

Showing 3 of 15 records for McNeely in Canada.

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

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the McNeely name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Elizabeth Annie McNeely

    Died 1948, aged 80; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record John McNeely

    Died 1940, aged 75; buried at Sydenham Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to McNeely.

When the index is not enough

This page says where McNeely 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 McNeely volume
Scroll to Top