Schwieters last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Schwieters

A German surname possibly derived from the German word "schweiz" meaning Swiss.

Schwieters, 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 Schwieters surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Schwieters in America

Schwieters is the 68770th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Schwieters surname appeared 286 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 Schwieters.

We can also compare 2010 data for Schwieters 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 68770 76946 -11.22%
Count 286 232 20.85%
Proportion per 100k 0.10 0.09 10.53%

The history of the last name Schwieters

The surname Schwieters originated in Germany, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "schwieren," which means "to swear" or "to vow." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who was known for swearing or making vows.

The name Schwieters was predominantly found in the northern German regions, particularly in areas such as Lower Saxony and Bremen. It is possible that the name was associated with certain occupations or trades that involved swearing oaths or making vows, such as law enforcement, military service, or religious orders.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Schwieters can be found in the church records of Ostfriesland, a region in northwestern Germany, from the late 16th century. These records document individuals with the name Schwieters residing in various villages and towns within the area.

Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, the Schwieters name appeared in various historical documents and records across northern Germany. Notable individuals bearing this surname include Johann Schwieters (1592-1661), a German theologian and author from Ostfriesland, and Hans Schwieters (1718-1794), a prominent merchant and landowner from Bremen.

As the Schwieters family spread across Germany and beyond, variations in the spelling of the name emerged, such as Schweters, Schwetters, and Schwitters. One notable bearer of a variant spelling was Kurt Schwitters (1887-1948), a renowned German artist and pioneer of the Dadaist movement.

Other individuals with the Schwieters surname who made significant contributions include Friedrich Schwieters (1815-1892), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Prussian House of Representatives, and Karl Schwieters (1872-1945), a German architect known for his design of various public buildings in Berlin.

It is important to note that while the Schwieters name has a rich history in Germany, it has also been adopted by families in other parts of the world through migration and cultural exchange. However, the core origins of the surname can be traced back to the northern German regions and the linguistic roots of the word "schwieren."

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Schwieters

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

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 Schwieters was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 94.06% 269
Non-Hispanic Black Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin 5.24% 15

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 Schwieters has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 94.06% 96.55% -2.61%
Black (S)% (S)% (S)%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic 5.24% 2.59% 67.69%

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 Schwieters was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Schwieters last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on April 27, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/schwieters-surname-popularity/.

"Schwieters last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/schwieters-surname-popularity/. Accessed 27 April, 2025

Schwieters last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/schwieters-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.