The Neill surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 9,404 people carried this name — #3,768 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 31,300 people counted. That is up 5% from 8,946 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Neill surname

A surname from Irish or transferred from the given name, variant of Neil.

Variant spelling of Neil, anglicised form of Goidelic/Irish Niall.

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

In Ireland’s birth registers, 1890

Ireland registered 244 births for the Neill name in 1890.

They were registered in all four provinces, most of all in Leinster. By the Registrar-General’s own method — births multiplied by 44.38 — that is about 10,800 people bearing the name in Ireland at the time. 29 of them were indexed under other spellings of the name. The Registrar-General’s note on the name: “Antrim, Cork, Kerry, Carlow, Dublin, and Wexford.”

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they were born, 1890

Leinster 97
Munster 78
Ulster 63
Connacht 6

Registrar-General for Ireland, «Special Report on Surnames in Ireland» (R. E. Matheson, 1894), births index of 1890 — public domain.

In Scotland’s registers today

Neill was recorded 55 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 475th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 89. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

In 1790, Neill was counted together with Neal: 284 families in all.

Each family is counted by its head. About 1,561 people lived in those households, 5.5 to a family on average. The census counted these spellings together: Neal, Kneel, Kneil, Neail, Neale, Neall, Neals, Neel, Neell, Neil, Neill, Niel, Niele, Niell, Nielle, Niels. 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

Pennsylvania 51
North Carolina 44
Virginia 41
Maryland 37
New Hampshire 30
South Carolina 24
Maine 18
New York 17
Massachusetts 13
Connecticut 9

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. 255 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Neill in American newspapers,
1895–1906.

Newspaper page from Daily Kennebec Journal carrying the name Neill
Daily Kennebec Journal 1906-06-08
Newspaper page from The Banner-democrat carrying the name Neill
The Banner-democrat 1895-08-17
Newspaper page from Fergus County Argus carrying the name Neill
Fergus County Argus 1901-04-01

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 6,563 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Neill in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2010s.

134,605 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Neill. The most, 23,328, date from the 1930s.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 54,391
Victoria 28,452
Queensland 23,910
South Australia 14,156
Western Australia 8,195
Tasmania 3,949
ACT (Canberra) 1,237
Northern Territory 97

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

Who carried it

People named Neill,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Patrick Neill
    Patrick Neill 1776–1851 · naturalist
  • Patrick Neill
    Patrick Neill 1776–1851 · naturalist
  • James George Smith Neill
    James George Smith Neill 1810–1857 · military personnel
  • Robert Neill
    Robert Neill 1817–1899 · building contractor
  • Pat Neill d. 2011 · writer
  • Einri O'Neill d. 1392

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Neill,
in the records of 8 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 States2,742 records

2,742 records of the Neill name in the United States
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1,306
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 377
  • Other U.S. records 1,059
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Terry Joseph Patrick Neill

    Born 1948; from Bristol, Pennsylvania. U.S. Army, infantryman; died in an accident 1968 in Gia Dinh, South Vietnam. Buried at Beverly National Cemetery, New Jersey.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Gizela Neill

    Born 1917 in Indiana. Enlisted 1943 in the Women's Army Corps at Fort Oglethorpe, Georgia; dressmaker. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, Indiana.

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

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Teutonic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 16; servant. From Dingle, Ireland; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,742 records for Neill in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · 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: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,691 records

1,691 records of the Neill name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 938
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 357
  • Other Australian records 396
  1. 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 Mary Neill

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Midlothian, sailing from Kingston in 1852. Native of Clare. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854.

    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 Eliza Neill

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Arabian, sailing from Dublin in 1846. Native of Cork. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1849.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thos Neill

    Arrived in Victoria in 1853 aboard the North Atlantic, aged 27; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,691 records for Neill in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: 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).

Canada87 records

87 records of the Neill name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 23
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 16
  • Other Canadian records 48
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Jas Neill

    Came to Ontario in 1882 aboard the Toronto, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; Irish.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ronald Earl Neill

    Buried in 1981 at Queen's Park Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 61.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Charles Leroy Neill

    Died 1942 in West St Andrews, Colchester, Nova Scotia.

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

Showing 3 of 87 records for Neill in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · 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) · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom36 records

36 records of the Neill name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 20
  • Stirling Council burial records 9
  • Other British records 7
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Isabella Neill

    Died 1936, aged 51; buried at Bannockburn Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Josheph Owald Neill

    Will proved in 1935; of Llandudno, Carnarvon.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record William Proudfoot Neill

    Born 1873. Died 1916. Named in the University of Edinburgh roll of honour, 1914-1919.

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)

Showing 3 of 36 records for Neill in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand30 records

30 records of the Neill name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 26
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 2
  • Other New Zealand records 2
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Judith May Neill

    Died 1982, aged 85; buried at Waimairi 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 Jane Neill

    Buried in 1896 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 75.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Annette Neill

    Died 1943, aged 86; buried at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 30 records for Neill in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

France5 records

5 records of the Neill name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record William John Neill

    Born 1939 in Ireland; died 1991 in Lille (Nord).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Eva Neill

    Born 1908 in Great Britain; died 1994 in Quimper (Finistère).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 5 records for Neill in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Ireland2 records

2 records of the Neill name in Ireland County Galway graveyard records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Herbert Richard Neill

    Died 1916, aged 58; buried at White Chapel, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Ethel Margaret Neill

    Died 1912; buried at White Chapel, Co. Galway.

    Galway County Council (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Galway County 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).

Netherlands2 records

2 records of the Neill name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Richard Mac Neill

    Died 1915 in 's-Gravenhage, aged 73.

    Open Archives, Haags Gemeentearchief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Marcus Neill

    Married in 1677 in Utrecht.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Neill.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Neill 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 Neill volume
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