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

Shwe, 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 Shwe surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Shwe in America

Shwe is the 53913th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Shwe surname appeared 383 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 Shwe.

We can also compare 2010 data for Shwe 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 Shwe

The surname SHWE has its origins in Myanmar (formerly Burma), dating back to the 12th century. It is derived from the Burmese word "shwe," which means "golden" or "precious." This name was likely given to individuals who were highly regarded or held esteemed positions in society.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SHWE can be found in the Bagan era inscriptions, which were stone inscriptions commissioned by Burmese kings during the Bagan Empire (11th to 13th centuries). These inscriptions often listed the names of prominent officials, scholars, and religious figures, some of whom bore the surname SHWE.

During the Konbaung Dynasty (1752-1885), the name SHWE appeared in various historical records and manuscripts, including royal chronicles and administrative documents. One notable individual with this surname was Shwe Byin, a prominent Burmese poet and playwright who lived in the early 19th century.

In the 19th century, the SHWE surname was also found in the records of British colonial administrators in Burma. One example is U Shwe Lay, a Burmese politician and writer who served as the first president of the Dobama Asiayone (We Burmans Association) in the early 20th century (1905-1939).

Another historical figure with the SHWE surname was Shwe Oo, a Burmese monk and scholar who played a significant role in the revival of Theravada Buddhism in Burma during the late 19th and early 20th centuries (1828-1919).

In more recent times, one of the most prominent individuals with the SHWE surname was Shwe Mann, a Burmese military officer and politician who served as the Speaker of the Pyithu Hluttaw (House of Representatives) from 2011 to 2016 (born in 1947).

Other notable figures with the SHWE surname include Shwe Thwin, a Burmese writer and journalist active in the early 20th century (1870-1946), and Shwe Mahn, a Burmese artist and writer known for his work in the field of traditional Burmese theatre and literature (1921-2003).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Shwe

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

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

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

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