Contents [hide]

Snowden History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Snowden History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The Snowden name is a habitational name taken on from the place Snowden, in West Yorkshire. The place name is derived from the Old English words "snow," meaning "snow," and "dun," meaning "hill." 1 2

"There are hamlets called Upper and Lower Snowden in West Yorkshire, Snowden Close in Cumberland, and a Snowdon Pool in Salop (Shropshire). The great Welsh mountain may occasionally have contributed to this surname by the migration of a Welshman from its neighbourhood." 1

However, another source notes that the "surname is not likely to have been derived from the famous Welsh mountain. It is probably the name of some English locality." 3

Early Origins of the Snowden family

The surname Snowden was first found in Essex where Henry de Snewedon was listed in the Feet of Fines for 1277. The following year Matthew de Snoudon was listed in the Assize Rolls for Somerset in 1278. 4

In Somerset, John Snowdone was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of King Edward III's reign.) 5

In Scotland, Snadden and its variants were more common and the name may have originated "from the lands of Snaw-done (1637) or Snawdoune (1649) in the bailliary of Lawderdaill." 6

Early History of the Snowden family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Snowden research. Another 103 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1558, 1600, 1616, 1640, 1688, 1699, 1711, 1744 and 1763 are included under the topic Early Snowden History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Snowden Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Snowden, Sneddan, Sneddon, Snedden, Snawdone and many more.

Early Notables of the Snowden family

Notable amongst the family name during their early history was

Richard Snowden (1688-1763), grandson of Richard Snowden Sr (1640-1711), one of Maryland's early colonists, founder of the Patuxent Iron Works, the site of Maryland's oldest iron forge

Snowden Ranking

In the United States, the name Snowden is the 2,318^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 7

Snowden migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Snowden Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Snowden, who arrived in Maryland in 1652 8
John Snowden, who arrived in Maryland in 1674 8
Isaac Snowden, who landed in Maryland in 1677 8
Richard Snowden, who arrived in Maryland and settled in South River in 1679

Snowden Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Tho Snowden, who landed in Virginia in 1704 8
Leonard Snowden, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1736-1737 8

Snowden Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Snowden, who arrived in America in 1806 8
Esther Snowden, who arrived in New York with her two children in 1820
Henry Snowden, aged 26, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1824 8
James Snowden, who arrived in New York in 1836 8
Orr Snowden, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1846 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Snowden migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Snowden Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Pickering and Ralph Snowden, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1774
Pickering Snowden, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1774
Mr. Randolph Snowden U.E. who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1784 he became a Freeman in 1785 was a Tanner 9

Snowden Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Jane Bell Snowden, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1813

Snowden migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Snowden Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Snowden, British Convict who was convicted in London, England for life, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 4th December 1803, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Robert Snowden, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Lalla Rookh" in 1840 11
John D. Snowden, aged 37, a carpenter, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "John Banks" 12

Snowden migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Snowden Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Snowden, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "George Fyffe" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 7th November 1842 13
Mrs. Snowden, British settler travelling from London with 5 children aboard the ship "George Fyffe" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 7th November 1842 13
James Snowden, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Avalanche" in 1858
Charles Snowden, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1870
Thomas Snowden, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1870

Contemporary Notables of the name Snowden (post 1700) +

Van Charles Snowden (1939-2010), American puppeteer
George "Shorty" Snowden (1904-1982), American dancer in Harlem during the 1920s and 1930s, credited with coining the name "Lindy Hop"
Admiral Thomas Snowden (1857-1930), American naval officer, awarded the Navy Cross during World War I, eponym of the USS Snowden (DE-246), an Edsall-class destroyer escort
Frank M. Snowden Jr., (1911-2007), American professor emeritus of classics at Howard University
George Holburn Snowden (1901-1990), American sculptor
A Loudon Snowden, U.S. ambassador to Spain 1892–1893
John M. Snowden (1776-1845), American politician, Mayor of the city of Pittsburgh (1825-1828)
Carl O. Snowden, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Maryland, 1988 14
Bob Snowden, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Wyoming, 2008 14
Archibald Loudon Snowden (1835-1912), American Republican politician, Postmaster at Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, 1876-79; U.S. Minister to Romania, 1889-92; Serbia, 1889-92; Greece, 1889-92; Spain, 1892-93 14
... (Another 22 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Snowden family +

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Fred A. Snowden, Canadian 3rd Class passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 15
Mr. Thomas Snowden, English 3rd Class passenger residing in Lynn, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 15

Citations +

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
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 22nd March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel-and-experiment
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) LALA ROOKH 1840. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1840LallaRookh.htm
South Australian Register Wednesday 30th May 1855. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) John Banks 1855. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/johnbanks1855.shtml
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 19) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/