Find out how popular the last name Sneyd is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sneyd.

Sneyd, 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 Sneyd surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sneyd in America

Sneyd is the 85049th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sneyd surname appeared 220 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 Sneyd.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sneyd 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.

The history of the last name Sneyd

The surname Sneyd originated in Staffordshire, England in the medieval period. It is a locational name derived from the small village of Snead, which itself comes from the Old English words 'snæd' meaning a small wood or clearing, and 'feld' meaning a field. The earliest recorded spelling of the name is found in the Domesday Book of 1086 as 'Snet'.

The Sneyd family first emerged as landed gentry in Staffordshire during the 13th century. One of the earliest recorded members of the family was William de Sneyd, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1272. The family's ancestral seat was at Keele Hall, near Newcastle-under-Lyme, which remained in their possession until the late 20th century.

During the English Civil War, Ralph Sneyd (1584-1676) was a prominent Royalist and supported King Charles I. He was knighted in 1644 for his services to the crown. Later, in the 18th century, another Ralph Sneyd (1723-1794) served as a Member of Parliament for the county of Staffordshire.

Other notable Sneyds throughout history include Sir John Sneyd (1579-1638), who was Lord Mayor of London in 1618, and Walter Sneyd (1809-1888), a British diplomat who served as Ambassador to Prussia and Mexico. In the 20th century, Air Vice-Marshal Ralph Sneyd (1899-1985) was a highly decorated officer in the Royal Air Force during World War II.

While concentrated in Staffordshire, the Sneyd name can also be found in various other parts of England, as well as in Ireland and North America, due to migration over the centuries. The variant spellings 'Snead' and 'Snede' have also been used historically. Overall, the Sneyd surname has a long and distinguished history, with its origins firmly rooted in the medieval landscape of central England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sneyd

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sneyd.

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:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sneyd was:

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 Sneyd has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

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 Sneyd was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sneyd, please contact us.

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