The family name Snodgrass is said to originate from lands in the parish of Irvine, Ayrshire,

Scotland Scotland (, ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. Covering the northern third of the island of Great Britain, mainland Scotland has a Anglo-Scottish border, border with England to the southeast ...

, known as Snodgrasse, or Snodgers, at a bend in the

River Garnock The River Garnock ( gd, Gairneag / Abhainn Ghairneig), the smallest of Ayrshire's six principal rivers, has its source on the southerly side of the Hill of Stake in the heart of the Clyde Muirshiel Regional Park. About a mile and a half south of t ...

at 55°38' north, 4°42' west, which were rented out in plots. Both forms are recorded in Ayrshire and in

Glasgow Glasgow ( ; sco, Glesca or ; gd, Glaschu ) is the most populous city in Scotland and the fourth-most populous city in the United Kingdom, as well as being the 27th largest city by population in Europe. In 2020, it had an estimated popul ...

between the 13th and 16th centuries. The name means "smooth grass" (

Juncus ''Juncus'' is a genus of monocotyledonous flowering plants, commonly known as rushes. It is the largest genus in the family Juncaceae, containing around 300 species. Description Rushes of the genus ''Juncus'' are herbaceous plants that superfic ...

), i.e. grass without nodes, in

Middle English Middle English (abbreviated to ME) is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. The English language underwent distinct variations and developments following the Old English ...

. In 1528 a charter from the King lists the lands of "Snotgerss" as being one of the confirmed possessions of Hugh, third Earl of Eglinton; the next record seen of the name is in the late 17th century.

Snodgrass in America

The first records of the Snodgrass family in the new world are in the early 18th century in Virginia. The Virginia town of

Hedgesville Hedgesville is a town in Berkeley County, West Virginia, United States, in the state's Eastern Panhandle region. The population was 318 at the 2010 census. The town sits on WV 9, and is roughly 13 miles east of Berkeley Springs. In addition to ...

(now West Virginia) was founded by William Snodgrass, who arrived in the American colonies in 1700. William Snodgrass is buried in the cemetery of Tuscarora Presbyterian Church in Berkeley County, West Virginia. Closer examination reveals a wave of immigrants from Scotland during the Highland Clearances, Highland Potato Famine (1846–1857), and Lowland Clearances; increasing family sizes probably prompted many Snodgrasses to leave when the land could no longer support all of them. From Pennsylvania and other ports-of-entry, they have spread across the North American continent and today there are in excess of 6,000 Snodgrass families in the United States and Canada.

Ogden Nash Frederic Ogden Nash (August 19, 1902 – May 19, 1971) was an American poet well known for his light verse, of which he wrote over 500 pieces. With his unconventional rhyming schemes, he was declared by ''The New York Times'' the country's bes ...

divided humanity into Snodgrasses and Swozzlers in his poem "Are you a Snodgrass?"

Snodgrass Clan

In April 1979, a Certificate of Incorporation was granted to the Snodgrass Clan, Inc. by the state of Indiana. This was brought about by Scott F. Hosier, Jr. and Laurence E. Snodgrass. Through Hosier's efforts a "grant of arms" was granted to the Clan on March 15, 1984 by the Chief Herald of Ireland; however, the petition to be granted a "grant of arms" by Scotland was never finalized. In 1979, Hosier ordered and received the first order of the official Snodgrass

tartan Tartan ( gd, breacan ) is a patterned cloth consisting of criss-crossed, horizontal and vertical bands in multiple colours. Tartans originated in woven wool, but now they are made in other materials. Tartan is particularly associated with Sc ...

. The weave code for the Snodgrass tartan is K6 R2 Y2 B22 G26 B10 R2 Y2, which was sourced to Dgn. T. S. Davidson.

People named Snodgrass

Snodgrass, as a surname, may refer to these notable people: * Adrian Snodgrass, Australian architect and authority on Buddhist art * Ann Snodgrass, American poet * Anthony Snodgrass (born 1934), archaeologist * Bob Snodgrass, American glass artist * Brooklynn Snodgrass (born 1994), Canadian swimmer * Chappie Snodgrass (1870–1951), American baseball player *

Charles Edward Snodgrass Charles Edward Snodgrass (December 28, 1866 – August 3, 1936) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 4th congressional district of Tennessee. Biography Snodgrass was born on December 28, ...

(1866–1936), American politician *

Dale Snodgrass Dale Snodgrass (May 13, 1949 – July 24, 2021) was a United States Navy United States Naval Aviator, aviator and air show performer who according to the ''The Spokesman-Review, Spokane Spokesman-Review'' was considered one of the greatest fighte ...

(1949–2021), United States Naval Aviator and air show performer *

David Snodgrass David Lang Snodgrass (born 21 November 1958) is a Scottish former cricketer. Snodgrass was born at Glasgow in November 1958. He was educated at Hyndland Secondary School, before attending Glasgow College of Technology. A club cricketer for the ...

(born 1958), Scottish cricketer *

Donald Ray Snodgrass Donald Ray Snodgrass (born December 20, 1935) is an American author. Snodgrass was born in Akron, Ohio. He is the son of Clare Berkeley and Louise (Scala) Snodgrass. He received a Ph.D. in 1962 from Oxford University Oxford () is a city in ...

(born 1935), American author *

Frank Snodgrass Wallace Frankham "Frank" Snodgrass (24 April 1898 – 16 July 1976) was a New Zealand rugby union player. A wing, Snodgrass represented Hawke's Bay and Nelson at a provincial level, and was a member of the New Zealand national side, the All Bla ...

(1898–1976), New Zealand rugby player * Frank E. Snodgrass (1920–1985), American oceanographer and electrical engineer *

Fred Snodgrass Frederick Carlisle Snodgrass (October 19, 1887 – April 5, 1974) was an American center fielder in Major League Baseball from to . He is best known for dropping a key fly ball in the 1912 World Series. New York Giants Early years Snodgrass wa ...

(1887–1974), American baseball player *

Guy Snodgrass Guy Snodgrass (born June 20, 1976) is a retired American naval aviator, TOPGUN graduate and instructor, who served as Jim Mattis's speechwriter and chief of communications during his time as Secretary of Defense. His book ''Holding the Line: Ins ...

(born 1976), American national security expert *

Harry Snodgrass Harry Snodgrass is a sound designer, supervisor sound editor, and re-recording mixer for film, television, and video games. Some of the films he has worked on are ''Napoleon Dynamite'', ''Hot Shots! Part Deux'', ''Alien 3'', ''Predator 2'', '' Rob ...

(born 1963), American sound designer for film and television *

Henry C. Snodgrass Henry Clay Snodgrass (March 29, 1848April 22, 1931) was an American politician and a member of the United States House of Representatives for the 3rd congressional district of Tennessee. Biography Snodgrass was born on March 29, 1848 near Spar ...

(1848–1931), American politician *

John Snodgrass (diplomat) John Michael Owen Snodgrass (12 August 1928 – 4 February 2008) was a British diplomat. He was educated at Marlborough College and Trinity Hall, Cambridge (MA). Position held *3rd Sec., Rome, 1953–1956 *1st Sec., Beirut, 1960–1963 *Consul- ...

(1928–2008), British diplomat * John F. Snodgrass (1804–1854), American politician *

John James Snodgrass John James Snodgrass (22 October 1796 – 14 January 1841), was a British military officer, aide-de-camp and son-in-law to Sir Archibald Campbell, 1st Baronet and author. He fought in the Battle of Waterloo. The last seven years of his life we ...

(1796–1841), British Army lieutenant colonel * Jon Snodgrass, (1941–2015), Panamanian author *

Jon Snodgrass (musician) Jon Snodgrass is a musician and member of the groups Armchair Martian, Scorpios, and Drag the River. He also performs solo and has collaborated with other musicians, including Tim McIlrath of Rise Against, and Joey Cape of Lagwagon. Biog ...

, American singer-songwriter * Kate Snodgrass, American theater director and playwright *

Kenneth Snodgrass Kenneth Snodgrass (1784 – 14 October 1853) was a Scottish-born soldier and colonial administrator. He acted as lieutenant-governor of Van Diemen's Land and governor of New South Wales for brief periods. Early life Snodgrass was born in ...

(1784–1853), Scottish-born soldier and administrator in colonial Australia *

Klyne Snodgrass Klyne Ryland Snodgrass (born December 28, 1944) is an American theologian and author, who served as professor of New Testament Studies at the North Park Theological Seminary in Chicago, Illinois from 1974 to 2015. His publication ''Stories with I ...

(born 1944), American theologian and author *

Lee Snodgrass Lee Alyson Snodgrass (born February 9, 1969) is an American politician, communications consultant, and campaign organizer. She represents the 57th district of the Wisconsin State Assembly, based in Menasha and central Appleton, Wisconsin. She is a ...

(born 1969), American politician * Lilburn H. Snodgrass (1859–1930), American politician * Louise Virginia Snodgrass (1942–2009), American legislator * Lynn Snodgrass (born ), Oregon Speaker of the House * Mark A. Snodgrass (born 1964), American legislator *

Mary Ellen Snodgrass Mary Ellen Snodgrass (born February 29, 1944) is an American educator and writer of textbooks and general reference works. Biography Snodgrass was born on February 29, 1944 in Wilmington, North Carolina to William and Lucy Robinson. She atte ...

(born 1944), American author * Melinda M. Snodgrass (born 1951), American science fiction writer * Milton Moore Snodgrass (1931–2014), American author *

Natalie Snodgrass Natalie Claire Snodgrass (born December 17, 1998) is an American ice hockey forward, currently playing for the Minnesota Whitecaps in the Premier Hockey Federation (PHF). Prior to signing with the Whitecaps during the summer of 2022, she was a ...

(born 1998), American ice hockey player *

Neil Snodgrass Neil Snodgrass (1776–1849) was an 19th century Scottish inventor and engineer. He created one of the world's first twin-hulled ships. Life He was born in Craigie, South Ayrshire in 1776 and educated at Ayr Academy achieving high honours ...

(1776–1849), Scottish inventor and engineer * Peter Snodgrass (1817–1867), pastoralist and politician in colonial Australia * Richard Bruce Snodgrass (born 1940), American writer and photographer * Richard T. Snodgrass (born 1955), American computer scientist *

Robert Snodgrass Robert Snodgrass (born 7 September 1987) is a Scottish professional footballer who plays as a winger for Heart of Midlothian. Snodgrass started his senior career with Livingston. He also had a loan spell at Stirling Albion before moving to ...

(born 1987), Scottish footballer *

Robert Evans Snodgrass Robert Evans Snodgrass (R.E. Snodgrass) (July 5, 1875 – September 4, 1962) was an American entomologist and artist who made important contributions to the fields of arthropod morphology, anatomy, evolution, and metamorphosis. He was the aut ...

(1875–1962), American entomologist * Sally Snodgrass (1936–2022), American politician * W. D. Snodgrass (1926–2009), American poet who also wrote under the pseudonym S. S. Gardons * Warren Snodgrass, American pediatric urologist * William Snodgrass (clergyman) (1827–1906), Canadian Presbyterian minister and the sixth Principal of Queen's College, now Queen's University *

William Snodgrass (politician) William Wallace Snodgrass (1870 – 20 March 1939) was an English-born politician from Nelson, New Zealand. He was Mayor of Nelson and later a member of the Legislative Council. Early life and family Snodgrass was born in Liverpool, England ...

(1870–1939), politician from Nelson, New Zealand * William Davis Snodgrass (1796–1885), American Presbyterian clergyman * William R. Snodgrass (1922–2008), Tennessee Comptroller of the Treasury

Fictional characters

* Miss Snodgrass, the archetypal punctilious English teacher * Amanda Snodgrass, the English teacher at North Jackson High in the HBO-series ''

Vice Principals ''Vice Principals'' is an American dark comedy television series starring Danny McBride, Walton Goggins, Kimberly Hébert Gregory, Dale Dickey, Georgia King, Sheaun McKinney, Busy Philipps and Shea Whigham. The co-creators were Danny McBride ...

'', played by

Georgia King Georgia May King (born 18 November 1986) is a Scottish actress. Early life Born in Edinburgh, King is the daughter of actor Jonathan Hyde and opera singer Isobel Buchanan. Career Although King grew up dreaming of being a director, she got her ...

Augustus Snodgrass Augustus Snodgrass is a fictional character in Charles Dickens's first novel, ''The Pickwick Papers'' (1836). He considers himself a Romantic poet, though there is no mention of any of his own poetry in the novel. A founder and younger member ...

, a major character in the novel ''

The Pickwick Papers ''The Posthumous Papers of the Pickwick Club'' (also known as ''The Pickwick Papers'') was Charles Dickens's first novel. Because of his success with '' Sketches by Boz'' published in 1836, Dickens was asked by the publisher Chapman & Hall to ...

'' by Charles Dickens * Homer Snodgrass, a character in '' The Mad Scientists' Club'' stories by Bertrand R. Brinley * Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass, pen name used by Samuel Clemens ( Mark Twain) for a sequence of travel letters now known as "The Thomas Jefferson Snodgrass Letters" * the title character of "The Deadly Mission of Phineas Snodgrass", a short story in the collection ''

Day Million ''Day Million'' is a collection of science fiction short stories by American writer Frederik Pohl, published in June 1970. Contents * "Day Million" (1966) *The Deadly Mission of Phineas Snodgrass (1962) * "The Day the Martians Came" (1967) * ...

'' by Frederik Pohl * Pongo Snodgrass, of the titular comic strip in the British comics magazine ''

Whizzer and Chips ''Whizzer and Chips'' was a British comics magazine that ran from 18 October 1969 to 27 October 1990, when it merged with the comic '' Buster''. As with most comics of the time, ''Whizzer and Chips'' was dated one week ahead of the day it actu ...

'' * "Snodgrass", a story in '' Snodgrass and Other Illusions'', a collection of short stories by Ian MacLeod in which

John Lennon John Winston Ono Lennon (born John Winston Lennon; 9 October 19408 December 1980) was an English singer, songwriter, musician and peace activist who achieved worldwide fame as founder, co-songwriter, co-lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of ...

lives in an alternate history

References

Notes

{{Reflist

Sources

* Metcalfe, William M. (1905). ''A History of the County of Renfrew from the Earliest Times.'' Paisley : Alexander Gardner. * Columbia Phantasy Cartoon Nursery Crimes https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ia8S9_1dotY

External links

Snodgrass tartan
as recorded in the

Scottish Register of Tartans The Scottish Register of Tartans (SRT) is Scotland's official non-ministerial department for the recording and registration of tartan designs, operating since 5 February 2009. As a governmental body, SRT is headquartered at HM General Register Ho ...

a Snodgrass history
with maps, photos, and coat of arms Surnames of Scottish origin