2000
#85,297
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 204
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.08
Very Rare Last name
Snelbaker
An occupational surname referring to a quick or speedy baker.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 244 Americans carry the last name Snelbaker. That puts it at #92,574 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,404,731 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Snelbaker 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
244
1 in 1,404,731
Census rank
#92,574
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
213
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 213 bearers of the surname Snelbaker in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 92574th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Snelbaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Black (0.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Snelbaker
The surname Snelbaker has its origins in Germany, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle German words "snell" meaning "quick" or "agile," and "backer" referring to a baker or someone who works with bread. This suggests that the name may have originally referred to a skilled or speedy baker.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Snelbaker can be found in the Kirchenbücher (church records) of the German town of Schnellbach in the late 1500s. It is likely that the name originated in this region before spreading to other parts of Germany and eventually beyond.
In the 17th century, a family by the name of Snelbaker was documented in the town of Kreuznach, located in the Rhineland-Palatinate region of Germany. This area was known for its thriving baking industry, lending further credence to the theory that the name was associated with bakers.
As the Snelbaker family began to migrate and settle in new areas, variations in the spelling of the name emerged. Some of these early spellings include Schnellbecker, Schnellbacher, and Schnellbäcker, all of which reflect the original German roots of the name.
One notable figure bearing the Snelbaker name was Johann Friedrich Snelbaker (1714-1793), a German-born baker and miller who immigrated to Pennsylvania in the mid-18th century. He was among the earliest recorded Snelbakers to arrive in the American colonies.
Another prominent individual was Samuel Snelbaker (1789-1867), a Pennsylvania-born farmer and politician who served as a member of the state's House of Representatives in the early 19th century.
In the late 19th century, a Snelbaker family was documented living in the town of Niederselters, in the Hesse region of Germany. This branch of the family included Johann Snelbaker (1832-1901) and his son, Johann Snelbaker Jr. (1863-1928), both of whom worked as bakers.
Another noteworthy figure was Wilhelm Snelbaker (1860-1932), a German-born artist and painter who immigrated to the United States in the late 19th century. He is known for his landscapes and portraits depicting scenes from both his native Germany and his adopted home in Pennsylvania.
While the Snelbaker name may have originated in Germany, it has since spread to various parts of the world, particularly through immigration to countries like the United States and Canada. However, its roots can be traced back to the skilled bakers and millers of central and western Germany, where the name first emerged and evolved over several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Snelbaker
Among Census respondents with the surname Snelbaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Black (0.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Snelbaker 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 Snelbaker surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White96.7% · 206
- Two or more races2.3% · 5
- Black or African American0.5% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Snelbaker
Snelbaker 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
#85,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 219
+15 bearers (+7.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 60 places
2020
#92,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 213
-6 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 7,217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #85,297 | 204 | 0.08 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #85,357 | 219 | 0.07 | +15 bearers (+7.4%) | Down 60 places |
| 2020 | #92,574 | 213 | 0.07 | -6 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 7,217 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 Snelbaker 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 | #85,357 | #92,574 | -8.5% |
| Count | 219 | 213 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Snelbaker bearers went from 219 to 213 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 7,217 positions in the national ranking, going from #85,357 to #92,574.
FAQ
Snelbaker surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Snelbaker?
Name Census estimates that about 244 living Americans carry the surname Snelbaker. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,404,731 residents.
How common is Snelbaker?
Snelbaker ranks #92,574 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 213 people with the surname Snelbaker. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (244), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Snelbaker.
Has Snelbaker become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Snelbaker went from 219 recorded bearers to 213. That is a decrease of 6 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #85,357 to #92,574.
What does the Census say about the background of Snelbaker?
Among Census respondents with the surname Snelbaker, the largest self-reported group is White at 96.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Black (0.5%). 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 Snelbaker in the 2020 Census, accounting for 96.7% (206 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Snelbaker appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (96.7%), Two or More Races (2.3%), Black (0.5%). 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 Snelbaker (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 Snelbaker mean?
An occupational surname referring to a quick or speedy baker. 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 Snelbaker (0.07 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 Snelbaker?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Snelbaker is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.