Snowe History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Snowe is of Anglo-Saxon origin and came from the baptismal name for the son of Snow, a personal name in the same group of names that also included Winter and Frost. 1 "Snow is the same name as that of an old, perhaps a mythical, king of Denmark. " 2 Two sources claim the name was for someone who was "born in the time of Snow," 3 and a "descendant of Snow, a name given to one born in the time of snow; a white-haired or very light-complexioned person." 4

Early Origins of the Snowe family

The surname Snowe was first found in Worcestershire where Richard Snow was recorded in the Assize Rolls of 1221. A few years later, Robert Snou was listed in the Feet of Fines for Suffolk in 1239 and later again, Gilbert Snawe was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Essex in 1327. The same rolls but in Sussex included William le Snow in the same year. "Haylwardus Snew (c.950 Old English Bynames) is said to have been so called propter albedinem. [Latin: white hair]" 5

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 included: Henry Snou, Buckinghamshire; and William Snou, Oxfordshire and later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls listed Willelmus Snawe and Ricardus Snaw as holding lands there at that time. 1

Early History of the Snowe family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Snowe research. Another 86 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1593, 1597, 1600, 1640, 1648, 1667, 1679, 1749 and 1792 are included under the topic Early Snowe History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Snowe Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Snowe include Snow, Snowe and others.

Early Notables of the Snowe family

Notables of the family at this time include Sir Jeremy Snow; John Snow, English Member of Parliament for Tregony 1593 and Yarmouth (Isle of Wight) 1597; and...
Another 27 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Snowe Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Snowe family to Ireland

Some of the Snowe family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Snowe migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Snowe Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Rebecca Snowe, who landed in Jamestown, Va in 1624 6
Sarah Snowe, who arrived in Jamestown, Va in 1624 6
William Snowe, aged 18, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Susan and Ellin" 6
Fran Snowe, who landed in Virginia in 1650 6
Mary Snowe, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Snowe migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7

Snowe Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

Mr. Richard Snowe, (b. 1607), aged 28, British settler travelling aboard the ship "Expedition" arriving in Barbados in 1636 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Snowe (post 1700) +

Olympia Jean Snowe (b. 1947), née Bouchles, an American politician, United States Senator from Maine (1995-2013)
Peter T. Snowe, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Maine, 1972 9
Olympia Jean Bouchles Snowe (b. 1947), American Republican politician, Member of Maine State House of Representatives, 1973-76; Member of Maine State Senate, 1977-78; U.S. Representative from Maine 2nd District, 1979-95 9

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
Pilgrim Ship Lists Early 1600's retrieved 29th September 2021. Retrieved from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html