Sneider
A masculine Dutch name derived from the occupation of a tailor or cloth-cutter.
Name Census estimates that about 6 living Americans carry the first name Sneider. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Sneider today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Sneider births was 2022 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Sneider. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Sneider. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
6
~ 1 in 57,125,723 Americans
Peak year
2022
6 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2022 SSA rank
#12,108
Tracked since 2022
Popularity
Sneider: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Sneider by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Sneider during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 6 | 0 | 6 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Sneider
The given name Sneider has its origins in the Germanic language family, specifically in the Old High German dialect spoken in the region that is now southern Germany and parts of Austria. The name can be traced back to the 8th or 9th century CE, and it is derived from the Old High German word "snidan," which means "to cut" or "to prune."
In its earliest form, the name was likely spelled as "Sneidari" or "Sneidher," and it was commonly associated with occupations such as tailors, woodworkers, or gardeners, who were skilled in cutting or pruning materials. The name may have also been used as a descriptive term for someone with a sharp wit or a cutting tongue.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sneider can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae Regiae, a collection of historical documents from the 9th century CE, which mentions a person named "Sneidher" who was a landowner in the region of Saxony.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals who bore the name Sneider. One such person was Johann Sneider (1515-1597), a German theologian and reformer who was a prominent figure during the Protestant Reformation. Another was Hans Sneider (1535-1592), a Swiss painter and engraver who is known for his intricate woodcuts and etchings.
In the 19th century, the name Sneider was associated with several influential figures, including August Sneider (1810-1876), a German philosopher and writer who was a proponent of the Young Hegelian movement, and Emil Sneider (1865-1925), a German sculptor and educator who worked in the Art Nouveau style.
Moving into the 20th century, one notable bearer of the name was Max Sneider (1905-1995), an American composer and conductor who was renowned for his work in film and television scores. Additionally, Verne Sneider (1916-1981) was an American author and historian who wrote extensively about the American West and Native American cultures.
While the name Sneider has its roots in the Germanic language family, it has since spread to various parts of the world and has been adopted by individuals from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds. However, its original meaning and association with occupations related to cutting or pruning remain an integral part of its historical significance.
People
Sneider + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Sneider as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Sneider: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Sneider?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 6 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Sneider going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 57,125,723 US residents.
Is Sneider a common name?
We classify Sneider as "Very Rare". It ranks above 22.3% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 6 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Sneider most popular?
The single biggest year for Sneider was 2022, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Sneider is about 4 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Sneider in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Sneider a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Sneider in the SSA data are male. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Is Sneider still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Sneider in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Sneider can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How common is the name Sneider?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.