2000
#4,107
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,984
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.96
Rare Last name
Snipes
An English occupational surname referring to a person who hunts or catches snipes, a type of wading bird.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 8,983 Americans carry the last name Snipes. That puts it at #4,381 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.62 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 38,156 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Snipes 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
9.0K
1 in 38,156
Census rank
#4,381
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,834 bearers of the surname Snipes in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.62 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4381st position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Snipes, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.0%. The next largest groups are Black (32.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Snipes
The surname Snipes is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English word "snite," which means "snipe," a type of marsh bird. It is likely that the name was initially given as a nickname to someone who exhibited characteristics or habits reminiscent of the snipe bird.
The earliest recorded use of the name Snipes can be traced back to the late 12th century in Lincolnshire, England. One of the earliest known bearers of this surname was Robert Snipe, who was mentioned in the Assize Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1202.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various medieval records, such as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which listed a John Snype in Cambridgeshire. The varied spellings of the name during this period included Snype, Snypp, and Snipis.
During the 14th century, the surname Snipes began to spread across different regions of England. The Placita de Quo Warranto records of 1347 mention a William Snype in Wiltshire, while the Poll Tax returns of 1379 list a John Snype in Yorkshire.
One of the earliest notable figures with the surname Snipes was Sir Thomas Snipe (c. 1510-1590), who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1571. Another historical figure was Thomas Snipes (c. 1580-1650), a English clergyman and author who wrote several religious works.
In the 17th century, the surname Snipes appeared in various parish records across England. One notable bearer was William Snipes (1637-1705), a prominent merchant and landowner in Gloucestershire.
As the name spread across the British Isles and beyond, it took on various spellings, such as Snipe, Snypes, and Snippe. Some notable individuals with this surname include Sir John Snipes (1768-1837), a British naval officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars, and Charles Snipes (1879-1952), an American baseball player who played for the Philadelphia Phillies and Boston Braves in the early 20th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Snipes
Among Census respondents with the surname Snipes, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.0%. The next largest groups are Black (32.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Snipes 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 Snipes surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White61.0% · 4,776
- Black or African American32.1% · 2,511
- Two or more races3.6% · 279
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 201
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 37
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 30
Timeline
Historical Census data for Snipes
Snipes 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
#4,205
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,428
+444 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 2.86
Rank movement Down 98 places
2020
#4,381
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,834
-594 bearers (-7.0%)
Per 100,000 2.62
Rank movement Down 176 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,107 | 7,984 | 2.96 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,205 | 8,428 | 2.86 | +444 bearers (+5.6%) | Down 98 places |
| 2020 | #4,381 | 7,834 | 2.62 | -594 bearers (-7.0%) | Down 176 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 Snipes 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 | #4,205 | #4,381 | -4.2% |
| Count | 8,428 | 7,834 | -7.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.86 | 2.62 | -8.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Snipes bearers went from 8,428 to 7,834 (-7.0% change). The surname moved down 176 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,205 to #4,381.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Snipes
FAQ
Snipes surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Snipes?
Name Census estimates that about 8,983 living Americans carry the surname Snipes. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 38,156 residents.
How common is Snipes?
Snipes ranks #4,381 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.62 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 7,834 people with the surname Snipes. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (8,983), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.62 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.62 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 Snipes.
Has Snipes become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Snipes went from 8,428 recorded bearers to 7,834. That is a decrease of 594 (-7.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,205 to #4,381.
What does the Census say about the background of Snipes?
Among Census respondents with the surname Snipes, the largest self-reported group is White at 61.0%. The next largest groups are Black (32.1%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Snipes in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.0% (4,776 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Snipes appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (61.0%), Black (32.1%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Snipes (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 Snipes mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who hunts or catches snipes, a type of wading bird. 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 Snipes (2.62 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 surname Snipes?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.