NameCensus.

UK surname

Nealon

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Nialláin," meaning "descendant of Niallán," a personal name meaning "champion."

In the 1881 census there were 68 people recorded with the Nealon surname, ranking it #23,950 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 423, ranked #11,344, up from #23,950 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to St Pancras, Bingley and Manchester. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include The Vale of Glamorgan, Roystonhill, Blochairn, and Provanmill and St. Helens.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Nealon is 423 in 2016. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 522.1%.

1881 census count

68

Ranked #23,950

Modern count

423

2016, ranked #11,344

Peak year

2016

423 bearers

Map years

4

1911 to 2016

Key insights

  • Nealon had 68 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #23,950 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 423 in 2016, ranked #11,344.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 104 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Challenged Communities.

Nealon surname distribution map

The map shows where the Nealon surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Nealon surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Nealon over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 37 #26,673
1861 historical 65 #25,618
1881 historical 68 #23,950
1891 historical 83 #26,376
1901 historical 84 #24,759
1911 historical 104 #22,209
1997 modern 393 #11,144
1998 modern 414 #11,073
1999 modern 411 #11,231
2000 modern 396 #11,486
2001 modern 396 #11,307
2002 modern 399 #11,460
2003 modern 383 #11,614
2004 modern 368 #12,001
2005 modern 369 #11,901
2006 modern 375 #11,796
2007 modern 376 #11,925
2008 modern 391 #11,675
2009 modern 393 #11,886
2010 modern 415 #11,654
2011 modern 407 #11,709
2012 modern 398 #11,755
2013 modern 409 #11,714
2014 modern 422 #11,516
2015 modern 415 #11,583
2016 modern 423 #11,344

Geography

Back to top

Where Nealons are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around St Pancras, Bingley, Manchester, Cardiff St John and St Mary and Cheltenham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to The Vale of Glamorgan, Roystonhill, Blochairn, and Provanmill, St. Helens, Rhondda Cynon Taf and St Edmundsbury. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 St Pancras London (North Districts)
2 Bingley Yorkshire, West Riding
3 Manchester Lancashire
4 Cardiff St John and St Mary Glamorganshire
5 Cheltenham Gloucestershire

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 The Vale of Glamorgan 002 Vale of Glamorgan
2 Roystonhill, Blochairn, and Provanmill Glasgow City
3 St. Helens 014 St. Helens
4 Rhondda Cynon Taf 029 Rhondda Cynon Taf
5 St Edmundsbury 014 St Edmundsbury

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Nealon

These lists show first names that appear often with the Nealon surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Nealon

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Nealon, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Baseline UK

Group

Challenged Communities

Nationally, the Nealon surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Challenged Communities, within Baseline UK. This does not mean every Nealon household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Residents of these neighbourhoods typically live in households with dependent children, and there are fewer-than-average residents of normal retirement age or over. Identification with ethnic minorities, particularly Black, or Mixed or Multiple ethnicities is common. The rate of Christian religious affiliation is low. Housing predominantly consists of semi-detached houses, along with a significant number of terraced properties and flats. Overcrowded social housing is common, and private renting occurs at average UK levels. Those in employment work mainly in caring leisure and other services; process, plant and machine operation; or elementary occupations. Unemployment is high, and few individuals have degree level qualifications. Many of these neighbourhoods occur in commuter towns or less accessible areas of larger towns and cities.

Wider pattern

This Supergroup exemplifies the broad base to the UK’s social structure, encompassing as it does the average or modal levels of many neighbourhood characteristics, including all housing tenures, a range of levels of educational attainment and religious affiliations, and a variety of pre-retirement age structures. Yet, in combination, these mixes are each distinctive of the parts of the UK. Overall, terraced houses and flats are the most prevalent, as is employment in intermediate or low-skilled occupations. However, this Supergroup is also characterised by above average levels of unemployment and lower levels of use of English as the main language. Many neighbourhoods occur in south London and the UK’s other major urban centres.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

The Greater London Mix

Group

Skilled Trades and Construction Workers

Within London, Nealon is most associated with areas classed as Skilled Trades and Construction Workers, part of The Greater London Mix. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These scattered, peripheral and often low residential density neighbourhoods house more workers in skilled trades and construction. Few households rent social housing and there are few students. Multiple car ownership is higher than the Supergroup average, perhaps because of poorer public transport connectivity. Incidence of mixed or multiple ethnicity is below the Supergroup average, and the absence of individuals identifying as Pakistani or Other Asian groups is also less pronounced. Flatted accommodation is less dominant than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

A Supergroup embodying London's diversity in many respects, apart from low numbers of residents identifying as of Bangladeshi, Indian, Pakistani or Other (non-Chinese) Asian ethnicity. There is lower than average prevalence of families with dependent children, while there are above average occurrences of never-married individuals and single-person households. The age distribution is skewed towards younger, single residents and couples without children, with many individuals identifying as of mixed or multiple ethnicity. Social rented or private rented housing is slightly more prevalent than average, and many residents live in flats. Individuals typically work in professional and associated roles in public administration, education or health rather than in elementary occupations in agriculture, energy, water, construction or manufacturing. Incidence of students is slightly below average. Individuals declaring no religion are more prevalent than average and non-use of English at home is below average.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Nealon is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Nealon falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Nealon is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Nealon, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Nealon

The surname Nealon originated in Ireland and is derived from the Irish Gaelic name "Ó Nialláin" which means "descendant of Niallán." Niallán is a personal name that is a diminutive form of the name "Niall," meaning "champion." The name Niall was a popular personal name among Irish royalty and nobility during the Middle Ages.

The Nealon surname is believed to have first appeared in the 11th century in County Westmeath, Ireland. The family was part of the Gaelic nobility and held lands in the area. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Annals of Ulster, a chronicle of medieval Irish history, which mentions a "Gilla-na-naemh Ó Nialláin" in the year 1162.

In the 16th century, the Nealon family was among the many Irish families who were dispossessed of their lands during the Plantation of Ulster, a planned process of colonization by English and Scottish settlers. Many Nealons were forced to relocate to other parts of Ireland, while others fled to continental Europe.

A notable member of the Nealon family was Patrick Nealon, who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He was a Catholic priest and a renowned scholar of Irish language and literature. Another prominent figure was Laurence Nealon, born in 1725, who was a Catholic bishop and a leader in the Irish Catholic Church during the turbulent period of the Penal Laws.

In the 19th century, the Nealon surname began to spread more widely due to the Irish diaspora, with many Nealons emigrating to countries like the United States, Canada, and Australia. One notable figure from this period was Michael Nealon, born in Ireland in 1837, who became a successful businessman and philanthropist in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Other notable individuals with the Nealon surname include James Nealon, an Irish-American actor born in 1953, and Kevin Nealon, an American actor and comedian born in 1953, who is best known for his work on the sketch comedy show "Saturday Night Live."

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Nealon families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Nealon surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Lancashire leads with 21 Nealons recorded in 1881 and an index of 2.67x.

County Total Index
Lancashire 21 2.67x
Middlesex 16 2.41x
Yorkshire 14 2.13x
Gloucestershire 6 4.61x
Kent 6 2.65x
East Lothian 3 34.17x
Hampshire 2 1.47x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Shoreditch London in Middlesex leads with 8 Nealons recorded in 1881 and an index of 27.83x.

Place Total Index
Shoreditch London 8 27.83x
Bingley 7 167.46x
Manchester 7 19.78x
Cheltenham 6 59.82x
Great Bolton 6 57.58x
Leeds 6 16.17x
Salford 6 25.93x
Gillingham 4 85.84x
Haddington 3 230.77x
St Marylebone London 3 8.47x
Herne 2 200.00x
Portsea 2 7.51x
St Pancras London 2 3.75x
Westminster St John 2 24.75x
Chelsea London 1 5.01x
Middlesbrough 1 11.68x
Toxteth Park 1 3.75x
Whiston 1 163.93x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Nealon surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 8
Elizabeth 3
Annie 2
Catherine 2
Bridget 1
Ellen 1
Frances 1
Kate 1
Lucy 1
Margaret 1
Martha 1
Nappay 1
Sabina 1
Sarah 1
Winifred 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Nealon surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
John 10
William 9
Thomas 4
Edward 3
Patrick 3
Anthony 1
George 1
Hugh 1
James 1
Joseph 1
Martin 1
Peter 1
Thos. 1
Tom 1
Wm.Sydney 1

FAQ

Nealon surname: questions and answers

How common was the Nealon surname in 1881?

In 1881, 68 people were recorded with the Nealon surname. That placed it at #23,950 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Nealon surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 423 in 2016. That gives Nealon a modern rank of #11,344.

What does the Nealon surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the Gaelic "Ó Nialláin," meaning "descendant of Niallán," a personal name meaning "champion."

What does the Nealon map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Nealon bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.