Unisex name · since 1888
Neely
Neely has 2,239 recorded births since 1888 in federal Social Security data, most heavily in 1974 -- full year-by-year trend, decade aggregates, and state rankings follow.
- #4,369 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,072 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,239
- born since 1888
- 2000s
- peak decade
Neely currently ranks #4072 among unisex names in America, with 2,239 babies recorded since 1888.
Neely has 2,239 recorded births among girls since 1888, per the U.S. Social Security Administration, ranked #4072 as of the latest data, more common than 76% of girls, busiest in the 2000s -- see the year-by-year trends, decade totals, and state-level distribution below, all drawn directly from SSA birth-registration files spanning 1888 to 2025.
- #4,369 of 72,339 all-time among girls
- #4,072 of 17,297 2025 SSA year
- 2,239 born since 1888
- 2000s peak decade
Data updated Aug 2026
The verdict
According to the U.S. Social Security Administration, Neely ranks #4,369 of 72,339 girls' names by all-time recorded births (highest first) and #4,072 of 17,297 among girls' names in 2025. 2,239 born since 1888, peaking in the 2000s.
- #4,369 of 72,339
- all-time among girls
- #4,072 of 17,297
- 2025 SSA year
- 2,239
- born since 1888
- 2000s
- peak decade
Neely's 2,239 recorded births place it above 93.95% of the 72,339 girls names in the full SSA archive.
14 jurisdictions carry state-level records, led by Texas.
How Neely compares
2,239 Top 21% higher than 79% of 17,297 names currently given to girls
Based on all-time total births among currently-ranked girls names. Names with fewer occurrences are grouped into wider buckets on the right.
Source U.S. Social Security Administration, national baby name data
How the numbers stack up
Neely's all-time total is 6x the median girls name, and Olivia still leads by a wide margin.
| Metric | Neely | Median girls name (Kyann) | #1 girls name (Olivia) |
|---|---|---|---|
| All-time total births | 2,239 | 376 | 567,345 |
| Peak-year births | 75 | 21 | 19,840 |
Neely's usage pattern, beyond the headline number
Splitting Neely's full recorded timeline at 1992, 62% of its total births fall in the more recent half of the record versus 38% in the earlier half -- usage has skewed toward the present, not a one-decade spike. Its quietest year on record was 1888, with just 5 recorded births -- worth weighing against the 1974 peak of 75 to see the full range of the name's swing in popularity.
Neely popularity over time - girls
Annual U.S. births registered with the Social Security Administration · 1888–2025
- Peak year (1974)
- 75
- Annual births at peak, across 138 years of records
Neely popularity over time - boys
391 total births recorded since 1890 (Neely as boys' name)
Neely by decade
2000s is the heaviest window (534 births, 24% of the file).
2000s was Neely's strongest decade.
534 babies received the name during that ten-year window, about 24% of all-time use.
Neely births by decade
Total births in each ten-year window
- 1880s 5
1880s
5 births
- 1890s 10
1890s
10 births
- 1910s 13
1910s
13 births
- 1920s 11
1920s
11 births
- 1930s 5
1930s
5 births
- 1940s 10
1940s
10 births
- 1960s 62
1960s
62 births
- 1970s
1970s
408 births
- 1980s
1980s
287 births
- 1990s
1990s
274 births
- 2000s
2000s
534 births
- 2010s
2010s
439 births
- 2020s 181
2020s
181 births
What this shows Peak: 2000s at 534 births (24% of all-time use).
How Neely compares to similarly-sized names
Years in SSA records vs. share of all-time use concentrated in the single peak year, among 15 girls names closest to Neely's total volume
Neely by state
Where Neely concentrates geographically, total births since 1888
| Rank | State | Visual share | Births | Share of total |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #1 | Texas | | 198 | 8.8% |
| #2 | Tennessee | | 113 | 5.0% |
| #3 | Mississippi | | 79 | 3.5% |
| #4 | Georgia | | 33 | 1.5% |
| #5 | Alabama | | 21 | 0.9% |
| #6 | Ohio | | 12 | 0.5% |
| #7 | California | | 10 | 0.4% |
| #8 | Illinois | | 10 | 0.4% |
198 of 2,239 births nationwide. Compared to a flat distribution across 14 reporting states.
Neely appears in 14 states. Explore state details →
Frequently Asked Questions
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What to do with Neely's data
- Neely's usage has stayed within range of its 2000s decade-level peak (534 total births) through the 2020s (181) -- a comparatively stable name, not a fading trend.
- Texas records the most Neelys (198 births) -- see the full state breakdown if geography matters to your decision. Texas names
Figures reflect SSA-reported births only; see the methodology above for the privacy-suppression floor.
Keep exploring Neely
Nearby Names Like Neely
Names with a similar sound, spelling, or feel to Neely
Compare Neely side by side: Neely vs Neena Neely vs Neela Neely vs Neema
Related Names
Names with a similar popularity rank to Neely
Nationwide names with similar peak year or record span
Two nationwide peer axes for Neely: closest SSA peak year, and closest first→latest record span. Distinct from the spelling and current-rank neighborhoods above.
Similar peak year (~1974)
Similar record span (~137 yrs)
Peak year is the single SSA year with the most births for that name; record span is first-to-latest year in the national files, not a recommendation or shared origin claim.
Data Sources
Data as of August 2026. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration (SSA).
According to the Social Security Administration, this profile draws directly from the agency's public-use baby-name files (updated June 2026). See our methodology for the full extraction, aggregation, and privacy-suppression rules.
Primary: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names from Social Security Card Applications, National Data, 1888–2025 (ssa.gov/oact/babynames).
State-level: Source: U.S. Social Security Administration, Baby Names, State-Level Files (namesbystate.zip).
Name Almanac is rendered directly from the Social Security Administration's public baby-name files, no number is typed in by an editor. This profile for Neely draws directly on SSA national and state-level files, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error. Data current as of August 2026.