Swayze
A masculine name derived from the English surname expressing a free-spirited person.
Name Census estimates that about 1,070 living Americans carry the first name Swayze. It appears on both sides of the gender split, with 79.3% of registrations being female. The average person named Swayze today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Swayze births was 2024 (113 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Swayze. Below you will find a gender breakdown showing how the name splits between male and female registrations, a year-by-year popularity chart stretching back to 1880, decade-level totals, the top US states for this name, its meaning and etymology, and a set of frequently asked questions with data-backed answers.
Key insights
- • Swayze is a relatively new arrival in the SSA data. The average bearer is just 8 years old, meaning it gained most of its traction in the last two decades.
People living today
1.1K
~ 1 in 320,331 Americans
Peak year
2024
113 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#2,025
Tracked since 1989
Gender
Gender distribution for Swayze
Swayze is one of the more evenly split names in the SSA data. Of the 1,078 total registrations, 223 (20.7%) were male and 855 (79.3%) were female.
Swayze as a male name
- Ranked #5,842 in 2024
- 16 male births in 2024
- Peak: 2022 (23 births)
Swayze as a female name
- Ranked #2,025 in 2024
- 97 female births in 2024
- Peak: 2024 (97 births)
Popularity
Swayze: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Swayze from the 1980s through to the 2020s, spanning 5 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2010s, with 583 total registrations. The name continues to be given at rates close to its all-time high, suggesting it has not yet fallen out of fashion.
Babies born per year
Decades
Swayze by decade
The table below breaks the full SSA timeline into ten-year windows. Each row shows how many male and female babies were given the name Swayze during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Geography
Where Swayzes live
The SSA's state-level files cover 9 states and territories. Mississippi, Texas, Utah recorded the most babies named Swayze, while Pennsylvania, Ohio, Georgia recorded the fewest. The average across all reporting states is about 35 registrations each.
Origin
Meaning and history of Swayze
The name Swayze has its origins in the Old English language, deriving from the word "swæse," which means "companion" or "comrade." It was initially used as a descriptive term or nickname for someone who was known for their loyal and dependable nature.
During the Middle Ages, the name Swayze began to emerge as a given name, particularly in the regions of what is now southern England and parts of Wales. It was often associated with individuals from rural or agricultural communities, where the concept of camaraderie and mutual support was highly valued.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Swayze can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of landowners and properties commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The name appears as "Swæse," referring to a landowner or tenant in the county of Somerset.
Throughout the medieval period, the name Swayze was relatively uncommon but maintained a consistent presence within certain regional pockets. Notable individuals bearing this name include Sir Swayze de Montfort, a knight who fought alongside Simon de Montfort during the Second Barons' War in the 13th century.
As the centuries progressed, the name Swayze continued to be used, albeit in a limited capacity. In the 17th century, records show a Swayze family residing in the county of Dorset, where they were involved in agricultural pursuits.
One of the most famous individuals with the first name Swayze was Patrick Swayze (1952-2009), an American actor and dancer widely acclaimed for his performances in films such as "Dirty Dancing" and "Ghost." His portrayal of rugged yet sensitive characters helped to popularize the name in modern times.
Other notable individuals with the first name Swayze include:
1. Swayze Loughren (1895-1976), an American football player and coach.
2. Swayze Walden (1919-2003), an American baseball player who played for the Chicago White Sox.
3. Swayze Caldwell (1933-2014), an American author and historian known for his works on the American West.
4. Swayze Blackburn (born 1972), a Canadian professional wrestler and actor.
5. Swayze Renshaw (born 1980), an Australian professional tennis player.
While the name Swayze has remained relatively uncommon throughout history, it has endured as a unique and distinctive moniker, carrying with it the connotations of loyalty, camaraderie, and a connection to the rural roots of its Old English origins.
People
Swayze + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Swayze as the first name? Click a combination below to see the estimate, or search any pairing.
Related
Other names starting with S
Other first names starting with S with a similar number of bearers.
FAQ
Swayze: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Swayze?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 1,070 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Swayze going back to 1880 and adjusting each cohort for expected survival using CDC actuarial life tables. The result is an age-weighted living-bearer count, not a raw birth total. That works out to about 1 in 320,331 US residents.
Is Swayze a common name?
We classify Swayze as "Rare". It ranks above 90.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 1,078 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Swayze most popular?
The single biggest year for Swayze was 2024, when 113 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Swayze is about 8 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
Is Swayze a female name?
Yes, 79.3% of people registered as Swayze in the SSA data are female. You can see the full per-sex comparison in the gender distribution section above, which includes the latest year rank, birth count, and peak year for each sex.
Where does this data come from?
First-name figures come from the Social Security Administration's national baby name files, which cover every name on a birth certificate from 1880 to 2024. Living-bearer estimates layer in CDC actuarial life tables broken out by sex to account for mortality. The population baseline (342,754,338) is the Census Bureau's latest national estimate. You can read the full calculation on our methodology page.