2000
#687
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 45,689
First available Census row
Per 100,000 16.94
Uncommon Last name
Snow
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a snowy hill or region.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 53,105 Americans carry the last name Snow. That puts it at #729 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 15.49 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 6,454 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Snow 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 Snow with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
53K
1 in 6,454
Census rank
#729
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
15.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
46K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 46,310 bearers of the surname Snow in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 15.49 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 729th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Snow, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Snow
The surname Snow traces its roots back to England, originating in the late 12th century. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "snaw," which means "snow" or "white." The name likely referred to someone with light or white hair, or perhaps someone who lived near a snowy area.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1191, where a man named Adam Snaw is mentioned. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 also reference a Robert Snowe from Oxfordshire.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various forms, such as Snowe, Snau, and Snawe, reflecting the variations in spelling and pronunciation during that time. The Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296 list a Thomas Snowe, while the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327 mention a William Snowe.
The Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, does not contain any direct references to the surname Snow. However, it does list several place names that may have influenced the name's development, such as Snowdonia in Wales and Snawedun in Yorkshire.
In the 14th century, the name began to spread across England, with records showing instances in counties like Suffolk, Dorset, and Somerset. One notable individual from this period was John Snowe, a wealthy merchant and alderman from Bristol, who served as the city's mayor in 1361.
As the centuries progressed, the Snow surname continued to appear in various records and historical documents. In the 16th century, a prominent figure was William Snow, a scholar and clergyman who served as the Warden of Merton College, Oxford, from 1535 to 1563.
Another notable bearer of the name was Jeremiah Snow, a 17th-century Puritan minister from Massachusetts who was involved in the Salem Witch Trials. He was born in 1623 and died in 1694.
In the 18th century, John Snow (1813-1858) was a renowned English physician and a pioneer in the field of epidemiology. He is best known for his work in identifying the source of a cholera outbreak in London, which led to significant advancements in public health.
The 19th century saw the emergence of Calvin Snow (1838-1901), an American architect and designer who played a crucial role in the development of the Prairie School architectural style. His works include the Chicago Stock Exchange Building and the Bowling Green Office Building.
In the realm of literature, C.P. Snow (1905-1980), whose full name was Charles Percy Snow, was a prominent English novelist and scientist. He is best known for his "Two Cultures" lecture, which addressed the divide between the sciences and the humanities in academic circles.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Snow
Among Census respondents with the surname Snow, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Snow 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 Snow surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.5% · 37,735
- Black or African American8.8% · 4,085
- Two or more races4.4% · 2,020
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 1,421
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.5% · 685
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 364
Timeline
Historical Census data for Snow
Snow 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
#734
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 47,528
+1,839 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 16.11
Rank movement Down 47 places
2020
#729
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 46,310
-1,218 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 15.49
Rank movement Up 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #687 | 45,689 | 16.94 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #734 | 47,528 | 16.11 | +1,839 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 47 places |
| 2020 | #729 | 46,310 | 15.49 | -1,218 bearers (-2.6%) | Up 5 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 Snow 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 | #734 | #729 | 0.7% |
| Count | 47,528 | 46,310 | -2.6% |
| Per 100K | 16.11 | 15.49 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Snow bearers went from 47,528 to 46,310 (-2.6% change). The surname moved up 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #734 to #729.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Snow
FAQ
Snow surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Snow?
Name Census estimates that about 53,105 living Americans carry the surname Snow. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 6,454 residents.
How common is Snow?
Snow ranks #729 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 15.49 per 100,000 residents, which is about 15 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 46,310 people with the surname Snow. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (53,105), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 15.49 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 15.49 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 15 of them to have the surname Snow.
Has Snow become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Snow went from 47,528 recorded bearers to 46,310. That is a decrease of 1,218 (-2.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #734 to #729.
What does the Census say about the background of Snow?
Among Census respondents with the surname Snow, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.5%. The next largest groups are Black (8.8%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Snow in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.5% (37,735 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Snow appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.5%), Black (8.8%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Snow (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 Snow mean?
An English topographic surname referring to someone who lived near a snowy hill or region. 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 Snow (15.49 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 Snow?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Snow is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.