2000
#11,610
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,480
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.92
Rare Last name
Snoddy
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word "snodha," meaning a smooth or polished appearance.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,475 Americans carry the last name Snoddy. That puts it at #13,483 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 138,487 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Snoddy 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 Snoddy with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 138,487
Census rank
#13,483
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,158 bearers of the surname Snoddy in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13483rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Snoddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.2%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Snoddy
The surname Snoddy is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "snod," which meant "smooth" or "sleek." This suggests that the name may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to someone who was well-groomed or had a smooth appearance.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Snoddy surname can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Northamptonshire from 1230, where a person named Adam Snoddy is mentioned. The name also appears in other historical records from the 13th and 14th centuries, such as the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273 and the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1310.
In the 16th century, the Snoddy surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Leicestershire and Nottinghamshire. There are records of individuals with this name living in villages such as Snitterby and Snitterfield, which may have influenced the spelling and pronunciation of the surname over time.
One notable individual with the Snoddy surname was John Snoddy (1588-1652), a British merchant and Member of Parliament who represented the borough of Wallingford in the early 17th century. Another significant figure was Sarah Snoddy (1672-1741), a Quaker preacher from Pennsylvania who was known for her influential religious writings and sermons.
In the 18th century, the Snoddy surname spread to other parts of the British Isles, including Scotland and Ireland. One prominent Scottish bearer of the name was Robert Snoddy (1722-1798), a Presbyterian minister who served in the parish of Drumoak, Aberdeenshire, for over 50 years.
As for famous individuals with the Snoddy surname, one notable example is Samuel Snoddy (1832-1917), an American businessman and politician who served as the 11th Governor of Oregon from 1909 to 1911. Additionally, William Snoddy (1868-1942) was an American chemist and inventor who made significant contributions to the development of cellulose acetate, a widely used synthetic polymer.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Snoddy
Among Census respondents with the surname Snoddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.2%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Snoddy 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 Snoddy surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White65.2% · 1,407
- Black or African American26.2% · 566
- Two or more races4.8% · 103
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Snoddy
Snoddy 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
#12,904
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,382
-98 bearers (-4.0%)
Per 100,000 0.81
Rank movement Down 1,294 places
2020
#13,483
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,158
-224 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 0.72
Rank movement Down 579 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,610 | 2,480 | 0.92 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,904 | 2,382 | 0.81 | -98 bearers (-4.0%) | Down 1,294 places |
| 2020 | #13,483 | 2,158 | 0.72 | -224 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 579 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 Snoddy 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 | #12,904 | #13,483 | -4.5% |
| Count | 2,382 | 2,158 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.81 | 0.72 | -10.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Snoddy bearers went from 2,382 to 2,158 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 579 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,904 to #13,483.
FAQ
Snoddy surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Snoddy?
Name Census estimates that about 2,475 living Americans carry the surname Snoddy. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 138,487 residents.
How common is Snoddy?
Snoddy ranks #13,483 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.72 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,158 people with the surname Snoddy. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,475), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.72 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.72 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Snoddy.
Has Snoddy become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Snoddy went from 2,382 recorded bearers to 2,158. That is a decrease of 224 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,904 to #13,483.
What does the Census say about the background of Snoddy?
Among Census respondents with the surname Snoddy, the largest self-reported group is White at 65.2%. The next largest groups are Black (26.2%) and Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Snoddy in the 2020 Census, accounting for 65.2% (1,407 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Snoddy appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (65.2%), Black (26.2%), Two or More Races (4.8%). 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 Snoddy (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 Snoddy mean?
A Scottish and Irish surname derived from the Gaelic word "snodha," meaning a smooth or polished appearance. 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 Snoddy (0.72 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 common is the surname Snoddy?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people have the last name Snoddy at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.