2000
#5,356
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,980
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.22
Rare Last name
Mcswain
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a servant or attendant who tended to swine or pigs.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,868 Americans carry the last name Mcswain. That puts it at #5,604 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 49,906 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Mcswain surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
6.9K
1 in 49,906
Census rank
#5,604
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
6.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,989 bearers of the surname Mcswain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 5604th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcswain, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (29.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Mcswain
The surname McSwain originates from Scotland and dates back to the medieval era. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name "Suibhne," meaning "well-going" or "swift." The prefix "Mc" or "Mac" means "son of" in Gaelic, indicating the name's patronymic origin.
The name is believed to have been first used in the Scottish Highlands, particularly in the regions of Argyll and Perthshire. It was originally spelled as "MacSuibhne" or "MacSween," and various spelling variations emerged over time, including McSwain, McSwaine, and McSwayne.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, which documented individuals who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England. The entry "Godefrey McSweyn" is listed among the names from the county of Argyll.
In the 16th century, a notable bearer of the name was Dougal McSwain, who served as a deputy to the Lord of the Isles in the Hebrides Islands. Another prominent figure was John McSwain, a Scottish warrior who fought in the Battle of Flodden Field in 1513 against the English.
During the 17th century, the McSwain family played a role in the Scottish Covenanting movement, which sought to preserve Presbyterian beliefs and resist interference from the Church of England. Robert McSwain, born in 1620, was a prominent Covenanter and minister.
Other noteworthy individuals with the surname include:
1. William McSwain (1828-1900), a Scottish-born Canadian businessman and politician who served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Manitoba.
2. Enoch McSwain (1835-1909), an American soldier who fought in the Civil War and later became a Baptist minister.
3. John Stevenson McSwain (1869-1936), an American businessman and philanthropist who co-founded the McSwain Theatre Corporation in North Carolina.
4. James McSwain (1884-1965), a Scottish professional golfer who won the British Open in 1914.
5. Robert McSwain (born 1962), an American former professional baseball player and coach.
The McSwain surname has been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as McSwain's Loch in Argyll and McSwain's Glen in Perthshire, reflecting the family's historical presence in these regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Mcswain
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcswain, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (29.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Mcswain bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Mcswain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White63.0% · 3,772
- Black or African American29.7% · 1,780
- Two or more races4.0% · 242
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 143
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 28
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 24
Timeline
Historical Census data for Mcswain
Mcswain appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#5,600
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,213
+233 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 2.11
Rank movement Down 244 places
2020
#5,604
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,989
-224 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 2.00
Rank movement Down 4 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,356 | 5,980 | 2.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,600 | 6,213 | 2.11 | +233 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 244 places |
| 2020 | #5,604 | 5,989 | 2.00 | -224 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 4 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Mcswain surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #5,600 | #5,604 | -0.1% |
| Count | 6,213 | 5,989 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 2.11 | 2.00 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Mcswain bearers went from 6,213 to 5,989 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 4 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,600 to #5,604.
FAQ
Mcswain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Mcswain?
Name Census estimates that about 6,868 living Americans carry the surname Mcswain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 49,906 residents.
How common is Mcswain?
Mcswain ranks #5,604 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.00 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,989 people with the surname Mcswain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,868), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.00 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Mcswain.
Has Mcswain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Mcswain went from 6,213 recorded bearers to 5,989. That is a decrease of 224 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,600 to #5,604.
What does the Census say about the background of Mcswain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Mcswain, the largest self-reported group is White at 63.0%. The next largest groups are Black (29.7%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Mcswain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 63.0% (3,772 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Mcswain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (63.0%), Black (29.7%), Two or More Races (4.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Mcswain (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Mcswain mean?
A Scottish occupational surname referring to a servant or attendant who tended to swine or pigs. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Mcswain (2.00 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many Americans have the surname Mcswain?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.