2000
#4,849
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,641
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.46
Rare Last name
Snook
A nickname referring to a person with a pointed or projecting nose, derived from the fish of the same name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 7,752 Americans carry the last name Snook. That puts it at #5,028 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 44,215 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Snook 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 Snook with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
7.8K
1 in 44,215
Census rank
#5,028
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.3
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 6,760 bearers of the surname Snook in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5028th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Snook, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Snook
The surname Snook is of English origin and has its roots in the Old English word "snoc," which means "a kind of boat" or "a snook-shaped projecting piece of land." The name is believed to have originated in areas around the River Thames in the 13th century, where the term "snook" was commonly used to refer to small fishing boats or boats used for transportation.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Snook can be found in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from the year 1279, where it appears as "Richard le Snok." This entry suggests that the name was initially used as a descriptive nickname for someone associated with boats or living near a snook-shaped piece of land.
In the 14th century, the surname Snook started appearing in various records across southern England, particularly in counties like Berkshire, Hampshire, and Wiltshire. The Lay Subsidy Rolls of 1332 mention a "John Snok" from Berkshire, while the Essex Feet of Fines from 1389 records a "William Snoke."
One notable historical figure with the surname Snook was Sir John Snook (c. 1555-1627), an English merchant and politician who served as the Lord Mayor of London from 1619 to 1620. Another prominent individual was Sir William Snook (1621-1689), an English lawyer and judge who served as the Recorder of Bristol and later as a Serjeant-at-Law.
The surname Snook also appears in several place names, such as Snook's Green in Berkshire and Snook's Hill in Hampshire. These place names further reinforce the connection between the surname and geographical features resembling the shape of a snook or boat.
Other notable individuals with the surname Snook include:
1. Samuel Snook (1768-1842), an English landscape painter known for his depictions of rural scenes.
2. Thomas Snook (1828-1904), an English cricketer who played first-class cricket for Hampshire County Cricket Club.
3. Edith Snook (1884-1964), an English actress and singer who performed in various stage productions in the early 20th century.
4. Alfred Snook (1899-1981), an Australian cricketer who played domestic cricket for New South Wales and represented Australia in Test matches.
5. Katharine Snook (1932-2019), an American actress and playwright known for her work in theater and television.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Snook
Among Census respondents with the surname Snook, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Snook 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 Snook surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.1% · 6,291
- Two or more races3.0% · 200
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 175
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 39
- Black or African American0.4% · 29
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 26
Timeline
Historical Census data for Snook
Snook 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
#4,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 7,141
+500 bearers (+7.5%)
Per 100,000 2.42
Rank movement Down 77 places
2020
#5,028
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,760
-381 bearers (-5.3%)
Per 100,000 2.26
Rank movement Down 102 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,849 | 6,641 | 2.46 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,926 | 7,141 | 2.42 | +500 bearers (+7.5%) | Down 77 places |
| 2020 | #5,028 | 6,760 | 2.26 | -381 bearers (-5.3%) | Down 102 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 Snook 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 | #4,926 | #5,028 | -2.1% |
| Count | 7,141 | 6,760 | -5.3% |
| Per 100K | 2.42 | 2.26 | -6.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Snook bearers went from 7,141 to 6,760 (-5.3% change). The surname moved down 102 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,926 to #5,028.
FAQ
Snook surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Snook?
Name Census estimates that about 7,752 living Americans carry the surname Snook. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 44,215 residents.
How common is Snook?
Snook ranks #5,028 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.26 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 6,760 people with the surname Snook. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (7,752), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.26 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.26 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Snook.
Has Snook become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Snook went from 7,141 recorded bearers to 6,760. That is a decrease of 381 (-5.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,926 to #5,028.
What does the Census say about the background of Snook?
Among Census respondents with the surname Snook, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Snook in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.1% (6,291 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Snook appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.1%), Two or More Races (3.0%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Snook (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 Snook mean?
A nickname referring to a person with a pointed or projecting nose, derived from the fish of the same name. 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 Snook (2.26 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 Snook?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.