2000
#3,276
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,022
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.72
Uncommon Last name
Snead
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "snipe nesting place."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 11,450 Americans carry the last name Snead. That puts it at #3,486 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 3.34 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 29,935 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Snead 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Snead with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
11K
1 in 29,935
Census rank
#3,486
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
10.0K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 9,985 bearers of the surname Snead in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 3.34 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3486th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Snead, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.4%. The next largest groups are Black (31.3%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Snead
The surname Snead is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval era. It is believed to have originated as a locational name, derived from a place called Snead or Sneyd in Shropshire, England. The name itself is thought to be derived from the Old English words "snæd" or "snæde," meaning a small piece of land or a clearing in a forest.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Snead can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Shropshire, a census-like record compiled in 1273. This document mentions a William de Snede, indicating that the name was already in use during the 13th century.
In the 14th century, the Snead surname appeared in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire, where a Richard de Snede was mentioned in 1332. This record suggests that the name had begun to spread beyond its original location in Shropshire.
The Sneyd family of Staffordshire is one of the most prominent historical bearers of this surname. Notable members include Ralph Sneyd (1591-1658), a prominent lawyer and Member of Parliament, and Ralph Sneyd (1677-1750), a politician and landowner who served as High Sheriff of Staffordshire.
Another individual of note is Samuel Sneade Pearce (1766-1851), an English minister and author who wrote several religious works. He was born in Birmingham and spent much of his life as a Baptist minister in various parts of England.
In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Snead surname is that of John Snead, who was born in Virginia in the late 17th century. His descendants went on to become prominent landowners and political figures in the Southern states.
Another notable American bearer of the Snead surname was Samuel Snead (1912-2002), a professional golfer who is considered one of the greatest players in the history of the sport. He won a record 82 PGA Tour events and was inducted into the World Golf Hall of Fame in 1976.
Other historical figures with the Snead surname include John Snead (1789-1868), a Virginia politician and judge, and Thomas Laidley Snead (1828-1906), a Confederate officer and lawyer from Virginia who served as a judge after the American Civil War.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Snead
Among Census respondents with the surname Snead, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.4%. The next largest groups are Black (31.3%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Snead 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 Snead surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White59.4% · 5,936
- Black or African American31.3% · 3,128
- Two or more races5.0% · 499
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 290
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 76
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 56
Timeline
Historical Census data for Snead
Snead 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
#3,407
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 10,500
+478 bearers (+4.8%)
Per 100,000 3.56
Rank movement Down 131 places
2020
#3,486
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,985
-515 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 3.34
Rank movement Down 79 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,276 | 10,022 | 3.72 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,407 | 10,500 | 3.56 | +478 bearers (+4.8%) | Down 131 places |
| 2020 | #3,486 | 9,985 | 3.34 | -515 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 79 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 Snead 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 | #3,407 | #3,486 | -2.3% |
| Count | 10,500 | 9,985 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 3.56 | 3.34 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Snead bearers went from 10,500 to 9,985 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 79 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,407 to #3,486.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Snead
FAQ
Snead surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Snead?
Name Census estimates that about 11,450 living Americans carry the surname Snead. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 29,935 residents.
How common is Snead?
Snead ranks #3,486 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 3.34 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 9,985 people with the surname Snead. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (11,450), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 3.34 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 3.34 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Snead.
Has Snead become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Snead went from 10,500 recorded bearers to 9,985. That is a decrease of 515 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,407 to #3,486.
What does the Census say about the background of Snead?
Among Census respondents with the surname Snead, the largest self-reported group is White at 59.4%. The next largest groups are Black (31.3%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Snead in the 2020 Census, accounting for 59.4% (5,936 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Snead appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (59.4%), Black (31.3%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Snead (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 Snead mean?
An English locational surname derived from a place name meaning "snipe nesting place." 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 Snead (3.34 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 people have the last name Snead?
Want to know how many people are called Snead? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.