Find out how popular the last name Schnee is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Schnee.
A German surname meaning "snow."
Schnee, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Schnee surname is from the 2010 census data.
Schnee is the 25954th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.
The Schnee surname appeared 946 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Schnee.
We can also compare 2010 data for Schnee to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
Rank | 25954 | 25374 | 2.26% |
Count | 946 | 916 | 3.22% |
Proportion per 100k | 0.32 | 0.34 | -6.06% |
The surname Schnee originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded use dating back to the 13th century. The name is derived from the German word "schnee," which means "snow." It is believed that the surname was initially given as a descriptive name to someone who lived in a snowy region or who had a particularly pale complexion.
During the Middle Ages, the name Schnee appeared in various records and documents across different regions of Germany. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Silesiae, a collection of historical documents from Silesia, where a certain Henricus Schnee was mentioned in 1275.
In the 14th century, the name Schnee was documented in the town of Nuremberg, where a family by the name of Schnee was prominent among the local merchant class. The Nuremberg Chronicle, a famous historical work published in 1493, includes references to several individuals with the surname Schnee.
In the 16th century, a notable figure bearing the surname Schnee was Conrad Schnee, a German theologian and reformer born in 1505. He was a supporter of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation.
During the 17th century, the name Schnee appeared in various regions of Germany, including Saxony, where Johannes Schnee, a respected jurist and legal scholar, lived from 1624 to 1694.
In the 18th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname Schnee was Johann Gottfried Schnee, a German composer and organist born in 1718. His works included several church cantatas and organ pieces, which were highly regarded during his time.
Another notable figure from the 18th century was Christian Friedrich Schnee, a German philosopher and author born in 1756. He wrote several books on ethics and moral philosophy, and his works were influential in the intellectual circles of the time.
The 19th century saw the name Schnee spread to other parts of Europe, particularly in areas with German communities. One example is Carl Schnee, a German artist and painter born in 1822, who was known for his landscapes and genre scenes depicting rural life.
As the name Schnee evolved over the centuries, variations in spelling and pronunciation emerged, including Schnei, Schnei, and Schneh. Additionally, the name was sometimes combined with other words or place names, resulting in surnames like Schneeberg (meaning "snow mountain") or Schneider (meaning "snowman").
We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Schnee.
The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:
For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Schnee was:
Race/Ethnicity | Percentage | Total Occurrences |
---|---|---|
Non-Hispanic White Only | 95.88% | 907 |
Non-Hispanic Black Only | (S)% | (S) |
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only | 0.85% | 8 |
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.63% | 6 |
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races | (S)% | (S) |
Hispanic Origin | 1.80% | 17 |
Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.
Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Schnee has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.
2010 | 2000 | Change (%) | |
---|---|---|---|
White | 95.88% | 97.27% | -1.44% |
Black | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.85% | (S)% | (S)% |
American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.63% | 0.55% | 13.56% |
Two or More Races | (S)% | (S)% | (S)% |
Hispanic | 1.80% | 0.98% | 58.99% |
The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.
The history and meaning of the name Schnee was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.
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<a href="http://namecensus.com/last-names/schnee-surname-popularity/">Schnee last name popularity, history, and meaning</a>
"Schnee last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on April 29, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/schnee-surname-popularity/.
"Schnee last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/schnee-surname-popularity/. Accessed 29 April, 2025
Schnee last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/schnee-surname-popularity/.
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