Explore the Family Name Snell
The meaning of Snell
1. English: nickname for a quick, lively, or courageous person, from Middle English snel(l) ‘swift, vivacious, brisk, bold’ (Old English snel(l), Old Norse snjallr). See also Sneller, Snelling. 2. English: from the Middle English personal name Snel(l) (Old English Snell, Old Norse Snjallr, with the same origins as the nickname above). 3. Americanized form of German Schnell ‘quick’. 4. Dutch: variant, mostly Americanized, of Snel, which is from the ancient Germanic personal name Snello (a short form of compound names such as Snelhard, based on the element meaning ‘courageous, agile, speedy, swift’; see Sneller), and perhaps also a nickname for a brisk or active person (from snel ‘speedy, swift’). As a variant of Van der Snel it is also a habitational name for someone from a place called Sneudel or Snoedel (from snode ‘poor’ + lo ‘open space in wood’).
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Snell in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the surname Snell has seen changes in terms of its popularity from 2000 to 2010. The ranking of this surname fell slightly from 1556 in 2000 to 1623 in 2010, indicating a decrease of 4.31%. However, the count, which represents the number of individuals with the Snell surname, rose by 4.65% over the decade, increasing from 21,192 to 22,177. Furthermore, the proportion of people with the Snell surname per 100,000 individuals has fallen by 4.33%, moving from 7.86 in 2000 to 7.52 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,556 | #1,623 | -4.31% |
| Count | 21,192 | 22,177 | 4.65% |
| Proportion per 100k | 7.86 | 7.52 | -4.33% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Snell
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals shifts in the ethnic identity associated with the Snell surname between 2000 and 2010. For instance, the percentage of people with the Snell surname identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander increased by 46.34%, and those identifying as having two or more races went up by 39.44%. The proportion of individuals identifying as White decreased by 3.38%, while those identifying as Hispanic saw an increase of 58.67%. The percentage of people identifying as Black rose by 4.21%, and American Indian and Alaskan Native identification saw a modest increase of 2.44%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 77.92% | 75.29% | -3.38% |
| Black | 16.64% | 17.34% | 4.21% |
| Hispanic | 1.96% | 3.11% | 58.67% |
| Two or More Races | 1.42% | 1.98% | 39.44% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 1.64% | 1.68% | 2.44% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.41% | 0.6% | 46.34% |
Snell ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Snell is British & Irish, which comprises 49.2% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (26.3%) and Scandinavian (4.8%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Nigerian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Ashkenazi Jewish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 49.2% |
| French & German | 26.3% |
| Scandinavian | 4.8% |
| Other | 19.7% |
Possible origins of the surname Snell
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Snell have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 82.40% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 82.20% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 82.20% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 82.20% |
| Tyne And Wear, United Kingdom | 82.00% |
What Snell haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Snell is R-U152, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-U152 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and R-L1066.1, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Nash, Noel, Webber, Ingram, Fletcher, Parish, Knight, Hodge, Winters, Haley.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Snell surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Snell have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Snell" Surname 40.8%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Snell" Surname 26.1%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Snell" Surname 23.4%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Snell" Surname 19.0%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Snell?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Snell are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition