The German and Dutch surname Snyder is an occupational name for a tailor, from an agent derivative of the Middle Dutch term  sniden meaning “to cut.” The first recorded spelling of the family name is believed to be that Rotcher Sniter from Greifswald, Germany, in the year 1302.This was during the reign of Emperor Albert 1st of the German Empire, 1298 - 1308. A notable bearer of the name is the American writer and environmentalist Gary Snyder. Today there are approximately 6,000 bearers of the surname Snyder living in The United States.