2000
#8,481
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,577
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.33
Rare Last name
Snavely
Derived from the German name Schnabel, referring to someone with a crooked or hooked nose.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,769 Americans carry the last name Snavely. That puts it at #9,469 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 90,940 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Snavely surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.8K
1 in 90,940
Census rank
#9,469
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,287 bearers of the surname Snavely in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9469th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Snavely, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Snavely
The surname Snavely originated in the German-speaking regions of Europe, specifically in the area now known as Switzerland. It likely emerged during the late medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old High German word "snavel," which means "beak" or "snout," possibly referring to someone with a prominent nose or someone who worked with birds or other animals.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Snavely can be found in the Swiss village of Snavely, which dates back to the 15th century. It is likely that the name originated from this location, and early bearers of the name may have been residents or landowners in the area. The name's spelling has evolved over time, with variations such as Schnäveli, Schnävely, and Schnäveli appearing in historical records.
In the 16th century, a man named Hans Snavely (1520-1588) was a prominent merchant and landowner in the Swiss canton of Bern. He was known for his successful trading ventures and philanthropic efforts in the region. Another notable figure was Jakob Snavely (1675-1742), a Swiss clockmaker renowned for his intricate and precise timepieces, which were highly sought after by European nobility.
As the name spread across Europe, it also found its way to other German-speaking regions, including parts of present-day Germany and Austria. In the 18th century, a family by the name of Snavely settled in the Palatinate region of Germany, where they were influential landowners and farmers. One of their descendants, Johann Snavely (1745-1820), immigrated to the British colonies in North America in the late 1700s, becoming one of the earliest bearers of the name in the New World.
In the 19th century, a notable figure with the surname Snavely was Wilhelm Snavely (1810-1892), a German philosopher and academic who taught at several prestigious universities in Germany and Switzerland. His writings on ethics and morality were widely respected in academic circles of the time.
Another prominent individual with the surname Snavely was Elisabeth Snavely (1865-1947), a Swiss-born painter and artist who gained recognition for her vibrant landscapes and portraiture. Her works were exhibited in galleries across Europe and are now part of several notable collections.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Snavely
Among Census respondents with the surname Snavely, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Snavely bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Snavely surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 3,000
- Hispanic or Latino3.8% · 124
- Two or more races3.0% · 100
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 30
- Black or African American0.6% · 19
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 14
Timeline
Historical Census data for Snavely
Snavely appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,061
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,607
+30 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 1.22
Rank movement Down 580 places
2020
#9,469
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,287
-320 bearers (-8.9%)
Per 100,000 1.10
Rank movement Down 408 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,481 | 3,577 | 1.33 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,061 | 3,607 | 1.22 | +30 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 580 places |
| 2020 | #9,469 | 3,287 | 1.10 | -320 bearers (-8.9%) | Down 408 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Snavely surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #9,061 | #9,469 | -4.5% |
| Count | 3,607 | 3,287 | -8.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.22 | 1.10 | -9.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Snavely bearers went from 3,607 to 3,287 (-8.9% change). The surname moved down 408 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,061 to #9,469.
FAQ
Snavely surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Snavely?
Name Census estimates that about 3,769 living Americans carry the surname Snavely. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 90,940 residents.
How common is Snavely?
Snavely ranks #9,469 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.10 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,287 people with the surname Snavely. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,769), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.1 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.10 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Snavely.
Has Snavely become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Snavely went from 3,607 recorded bearers to 3,287. That is a decrease of 320 (-8.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,061 to #9,469.
What does the Census say about the background of Snavely?
Among Census respondents with the surname Snavely, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.8%) and Two or More Races (3.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Snavely in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (3,000 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Snavely appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Hispanic (3.8%), Two or More Races (3.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Snavely (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Snavely mean?
Derived from the German name Schnabel, referring to someone with a crooked or hooked nose. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Snavely (1.10 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Snavely?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.