Swede
A masculine Scandinavian name derived from the Swedish people.
Name Census estimates that about 5 living Americans carry the first name Swede. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Swede today is around 4 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Swede births was 2022 (5 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Swede. 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
- • Fewer than 100 living Americans are believed to carry the name Swede. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
5
~ 1 in 68,550,868 Americans
Peak year
2022
5 babies that year
Average age
4
years old
2022 SSA rank
#14,066
Tracked since 2022
Popularity
Swede: popularity over time
Babies born per year
Decades
Swede 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 Swede during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
| Decade | Male | Female | Total |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2020s | 5 | 0 | 5 |
Origin
Meaning and history of Swede
The name Swede has its origins in the Old Norse language, spoken by the Scandinavian peoples during the Viking Age, approximately between the 8th and 11th centuries AD. It is believed to be derived from the Old Norse word "Svía," which referred to the people who inhabited the region known today as Sweden. This name was likely used to distinguish individuals of Swedish descent or those who had ties to the Swedish kingdom.
Historically, the name Swede was closely associated with the Vikings, a seafaring Norse people known for their exploration, trading, and raiding activities across Europe and beyond. During this period, individuals bearing the name Swede may have been warriors, merchants, or explorers who ventured out from their Scandinavian homelands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Swede can be found in the Old Norse sagas, which were literary works that recounted the tales and legends of the Viking Age. These sagas often featured characters with names that reflected their cultural and geographic origins.
Throughout history, several notable figures have borne the name Swede. One such individual was Swede Momsen (1858-1935), an American submarine pioneer and naval officer who made significant contributions to the development of early submersible technology. Another was Swede Risberg (1894-1975), an American baseball player who was part of the infamous "Black Sox Scandal" in 1919.
In the realm of entertainment, Swede Savage (1916-1973) was an American actor known for his roles in Western films during the mid-20th century. Swede Carlson (1906-1999) was a Swedish-American actor who appeared in numerous films and television shows throughout his career.
Swede Olmstead (1901-1983) was an American football player and coach who played for the Canton Bulldogs in the early years of the National Football League. He later went on to coach at various collegiate and professional levels, leaving a lasting impact on the sport.
It is worth noting that while the name Swede has its roots in the Viking Age and Scandinavian culture, it has been adopted and used across various regions and cultures over time, transcending its original geographic and ethnic associations.
People
Swede + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Swede 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
Swede: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Swede?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 5 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Swede 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 68,550,868 US residents.
Is Swede a common name?
We classify Swede as "Very Rare". It ranks above 18.2% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 5 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Swede most popular?
The single biggest year for Swede was 2022, when 5 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Swede is about 4 years old gives you a rough sense of which era contributed the most bearers who are still alive today.
What does the SSA popularity chart show?
The chart tracks births, not the number of people alive with the name today. Each point shows how many babies were given the name Swede in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Swede a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Swede in the SSA data are male. 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.
Is Swede still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Swede in 2024, and the page above shows its latest-year rank where available. A name can be well past its peak and still remain in steady use, especially if it built up a large population over earlier decades.
Why can a name have a lot of living bearers even if it is not trendy now?
Because living-bearer counts and current baby-name popularity measure different things. A name like Swede can build up a very large population over many decades, even if fewer parents are choosing it now than they did at its peak.
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.
Does every first name have Census demographic data?
No. The public Census first-name release only covers names that met the Bureau's publication rules, so many rarer names in the SSA files do not have a published Census demographic snapshot. In those cases, the page still shows the SSA trend, gender history, and state data.
How many people share the name Swede?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.