2000
#1,963
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,855
First available Census row
Per 100,000 6.25
Uncommon Last name
Sneed
An English occupational surname referring to a tailor or one who cuts cloth or clothing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 18,689 Americans carry the last name Sneed. That puts it at #2,169 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 5.45 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 18,340 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sneed 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
19K
1 in 18,340
Census rank
#2,169
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
5.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
16K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 16,298 bearers of the surname Sneed in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 5.45 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2169th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sneed, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.6%. The next largest groups are Black (36.9%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sneed
The surname SNEED is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "snid" or "snede," which referred to a piece of land or a small plot. This suggests that the name may have originally denoted someone who lived on a small or narrow piece of land.
The name first appeared in historical records in the late 12th century, with one of the earliest known references being found in the Pipe Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1198, where a person named Robert Snede is mentioned. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 also contain an entry for a Roger Snede in Oxfordshire.
During the 13th and 14th centuries, the spelling of the name varied, with forms such as Snede, Snide, and Snyde appearing in various records. The modern spelling of SNEED is thought to have emerged in the 16th century, as evidenced by entries in parish registers and other documents from that time.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname SNEED was John Sneed, who was born in Gloucestershire, England, in the early 15th century. Another notable figure was William Sneed, a merchant and alderman in the city of Bristol, who lived in the late 16th century.
In the 17th century, the SNEED family had a presence in various parts of England, including the counties of Gloucestershire, Wiltshire, and Somerset. One prominent member of the family during this period was Richard Sneed, a landowner and justice of the peace in Gloucestershire, who was born in 1620 and died in 1695.
As the SNEED name spread throughout England, it also found its way to other parts of the British Isles and eventually to the Americas. In the 18th century, several individuals with the surname SNEED are recorded as having immigrated to the American colonies, including John Sneed, who arrived in Virginia in 1701, and William Sneed, who settled in South Carolina in 1768.
Throughout history, there have been several notable individuals with the surname SNEED. One example is Sir Samuel Sneed, an English politician and member of parliament in the late 17th century. Another is Robert Sneed, an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Virginia House of Delegates in the early 19th century.
Overall, the surname SNEED has a rich history that can be traced back to medieval England, with its origins likely rooted in Old English words related to land and property. Over the centuries, the name has spread to various parts of the world, and individuals with this surname have made their mark in various fields, including politics, law, and business.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sneed
Among Census respondents with the surname Sneed, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.6%. The next largest groups are Black (36.9%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Sneed 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 Sneed surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White53.6% · 8,736
- Black or African American36.9% · 6,015
- Two or more races5.0% · 809
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 487
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 179
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 72
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sneed
Sneed 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
#2,027
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 17,804
+949 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 6.04
Rank movement Down 64 places
2020
#2,169
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 16,298
-1,506 bearers (-8.5%)
Per 100,000 5.45
Rank movement Down 142 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,963 | 16,855 | 6.25 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,027 | 17,804 | 6.04 | +949 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 64 places |
| 2020 | #2,169 | 16,298 | 5.45 | -1,506 bearers (-8.5%) | Down 142 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 Sneed 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 | #2,027 | #2,169 | -7.0% |
| Count | 17,804 | 16,298 | -8.5% |
| Per 100K | 6.04 | 5.45 | -9.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sneed bearers went from 17,804 to 16,298 (-8.5% change). The surname moved down 142 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,027 to #2,169.
FAQ
Sneed surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sneed?
Name Census estimates that about 18,689 living Americans carry the surname Sneed. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 18,340 residents.
How common is Sneed?
Sneed ranks #2,169 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 5.45 per 100,000 residents, which is about 5 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 16,298 people with the surname Sneed. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (18,689), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 5.45 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 5.45 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 5 of them to have the surname Sneed.
Has Sneed become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sneed went from 17,804 recorded bearers to 16,298. That is a decrease of 1,506 (-8.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,027 to #2,169.
What does the Census say about the background of Sneed?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sneed, the largest self-reported group is White at 53.6%. The next largest groups are Black (36.9%) 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 Sneed in the 2020 Census, accounting for 53.6% (8,736 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sneed appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (53.6%), Black (36.9%), 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 Sneed (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 Sneed mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a tailor or one who cuts cloth or clothing. 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 Sneed (5.45 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 Sneed?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Sneed at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.