Swift
A name denoting someone who is quick and agile.
Name Census estimates that about 16 living Americans carry the first name Swift. The name is used almost exclusively for boys. The average person named Swift today is around 8 years old, and the year with the single highest number of Swift births was 2024 (6 babies).
This page is the full Name Census profile for Swift. 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 Swift. It is among the rarest names in the SSA records.
People living today
16
~ 1 in 21,422,146 Americans
Peak year
2024
6 babies that year
Average age
8
years old
2024 SSA rank
#12,123
Tracked since 1919
Popularity
Swift: popularity over time
The SSA tracks Swift from the 1910s through to the 2020s, spanning 3 decades of birth certificate data. The biggest single decade for the name was the 2020s, with 11 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
Swift 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 Swift during that decade, along with a combined total. This is useful for spotting eras where the name surged or retreated.
Origin
Meaning and history of Swift
The name Swift has its origins in the Old English word "swifan", meaning "to move quickly or rapidly". This name first appeared in the Anglo-Saxon territories of England during the 7th and 8th centuries AD, and was likely used as a descriptive nickname for someone who was particularly agile or swift-moving.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Swift can be found in the Domesday Book, a survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry lists a landowner named "Swiften" in the county of Hertfordshire. This suggests that the name had already been in use for some time prior to the Norman Conquest.
In the Middle Ages, the name Swift was relatively uncommon but still in use across various parts of England. One notable bearer of the name was Jonathan Swift, the renowned Anglo-Irish satirist, essayist, and poet who lived from 1667 to 1745. His biting satires, such as "Gulliver's Travels" and "A Modest Proposal", earned him widespread recognition and a place in the canon of English literature.
Another famous Swift was Lewis Swift, an American astronomer born in 1820 who discovered several comets and asteroids during his lifetime. His contributions to the field of astronomy were significant, and he is remembered for his dedication to celestial observation.
In the 19th century, the name Swift gained popularity in the United States, particularly among families of English descent. One notable American bearer of the name was Gustavus Franklin Swift, born in 1839, who founded the meat-packing company that would become Swift & Company, one of the largest meatpacking firms in the world at the time.
While not as common as some other English names, Swift has maintained a consistent presence throughout history, often associated with qualities of swiftness, agility, and quickness. Other notable individuals who have borne the name include Taylor Swift, the American singer-songwriter born in 1989, and Jonathan Swift, an English clergyman and satirist who lived from 1667 to 1745, best known for his works "Gulliver's Travels" and "A Modest Proposal".
People
Swift + last name combinations
How many people share a full name with Swift 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
Swift: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. are named Swift?
Name Census puts the figure at roughly 16 living Americans. We arrive at this by taking every SSA birth registration for Swift 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 21,422,146 US residents.
Is Swift a common name?
We classify Swift as "Very Rare". It ranks above 36.5% of all first names in the SSA dataset by living bearers. Across the full history of the data, 21 babies have been registered with this name.
When was Swift most popular?
The single biggest year for Swift was 2024, when 6 babies received the name. The fact that the average living Swift is about 8 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 Swift in that year. That makes it useful for spotting when the name rose, peaked, or faded.
Is Swift a male name?
Yes, 100.0% of people registered as Swift 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 Swift still being used today?
Yes. The SSA still recorded Swift 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 Swift 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 common is the name Swift?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people share the name Swift at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.