Snodgrass
A Scottish and northern English surname meaning someone who lived by, or was nicknamed for, smooth or neatly kept grass.
The #2,818 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 24,109 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained from Scots and northern English snod, meaning 'smooth,' 'trim,' or 'neat,' plus grass. In older surname books it is taken as a topographic or locative name for someone dwelling near a smooth, closely kept lawn or grassy place. Some writers also suggested that the first element may have begun as a personal name, but the 'smooth grass' explanation is the standard one.
History
The name is especially associated with Scotland and northern Britain, and later spread to Ireland and North America through migration. Etymologists in the 19th century generally treated it as a local surname, though one noted a possible link to an old personal name Snod. It is best known today as a fairly uncommon but established English-language surname, with several notable American bearers.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Some 19th-century writers grouped Snodgrass with other picturesque surnames used in fiction and everyday life, which helped keep it in circulation as a memorable example name.
From the historical record
“SNODDON, V. Snowdon. SNODGRASS (Eng. or Scand.) Dweller at the Smooth Grass or Lawn [North. Dial. E. and Scot, snod, smooth, trim, pruned : cp. O.E. sttddan, to trim, prune ; ahd O.N. jMoSS-2»«, bald, smooth] SNODIN, V. Snowden.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)