Find out how popular the last name Sawney is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sawney.

Sawney, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sawney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sawney in America

Sawney is the 86645th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sawney surname appeared 215 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Sawney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sawney to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sawney

The surname Sawney is believed to have originated in Scotland during the medieval period. It is thought to be a nickname derived from the Old English word "sawnian," meaning "to be slow or sluggish." Alternatively, it may have stemmed from the Old Norse name "Savn," meaning "memorial."

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sawney can be found in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a collection of feudal homage agreements made between Scottish landowners and King Edward I of England. The name appears as "Sawny" in this document.

Historically, the name Sawney has been associated with several notable individuals. One such person was Sawney Bean, a legendary figure from the 16th century who was said to be the leader of a cannibalistic clan based in Galloway, Scotland. While the veracity of the tales surrounding Sawney Bean is debated, his name has become synonymous with cannibalism and depravity.

Another individual of note was Alexander Sawney, a Scottish mathematician and astronomer born in 1580. He made significant contributions to the fields of navigation and cartography, publishing works such as "A New Treatise on Navigation" in 1612.

In the literary realm, the name Sawney is featured in Robert Burns' poem "The Twa Dogs," where it is used as a nickname for a farmer. This work, published in 1786, provides a glimpse into the use of the name during that era.

Moving forward in time, Charles Sawney (1820-1898) was a British architect known for his work on several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Albert Hall and the Victoria and Albert Museum.

Additionally, John Sawney (1865-1942) was a Scottish businessman and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the city of Glasgow, establishing the Sawney Trust to support educational initiatives and community development.

Throughout its history, the surname Sawney has undergone various spellings, including Sawnay, Sauny, and Sauney, reflecting regional variations and linguistic adaptations over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sawney

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sawney.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sawney was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sawney has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sawney was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sawney, please contact us.

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