2010
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Swagart
A surname derived from an Old French word for "sweet" or "pleasant."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 134 Americans carry the last name Swagart. That puts it at #144,270 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,557,868 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swagart 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
134
1 in 2,557,868
Census rank
#144,270
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
117
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 117 bearers of the surname Swagart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 144270th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swagart, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swagart
The surname Swagart is believed to have originated in Germany, with its roots dating back to the medieval period, around the 13th or 14th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "swart," which means "black" or "dark." This suggests that the name may have been initially given as a descriptive nickname to someone with dark hair or a swarthy complexion.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Swagart can be found in various German municipal records and church registries from the late medieval and early modern periods. For example, a Johann Swagart was documented in the town of Nürnberg in 1487. Additionally, the name appears in the 16th-century tax records of the city of Frankfurt am Main.
Over time, the name Swagart underwent several spelling variations, including Schwart, Schwartz, and Swartz. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in record-keeping during those eras. Some of these alternate spellings may have also been influenced by the Dutch or Low German languages, which share linguistic roots with German.
One notable figure bearing the Swagart surname was Johann Swagart, a German Protestant theologian and reformer who lived in the 16th century (1499-1561). He was a follower of Martin Luther and played a significant role in the Protestant Reformation in Germany.
Another individual of historical significance was Katharina Swagart (born circa 1570), a German midwife and author who wrote one of the earliest manuals on midwifery and childbirth in the German language, titled "Der Schwangeren Frauen und Hebammen Rosengarten" (The Pregnant Women and Midwives' Rose Garden).
In the 18th century, a German military officer named Friedrich Wilhelm Swagart (1722-1796) served in the Prussian Army and participated in the Seven Years' War (1756-1763). He is noted for his tactical strategies and his contributions to military theory and tactics.
During the 19th century, a German-American entrepreneur named Wilhelm Swagart (1835-1912) founded a successful brewing company in St. Louis, Missouri, which became known as the Swagart Brewing Company. His brewery played a role in the development of the city's beer industry.
Another notable figure was Elise Swagart (1876-1942), a German artist and painter who was part of the Expressionist movement in the early 20th century. Her works are known for their bold colors and expressive brushwork, capturing the emotional intensity of her subjects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swagart
Among Census respondents with the surname Swagart, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Swagart 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 Swagart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 105
- Two or more races6.0% · 7
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swagart
Swagart appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#144,270
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+2 bearers (+1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 129 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #144,270 | 117 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.7%) | Down 129 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 Swagart 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 | #144,141 | #144,270 | -0.1% |
| Count | 115 | 117 | 1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -2.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swagart bearers went from 115 to 117 (+1.7% change). The surname moved down 129 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #144,270.
FAQ
Swagart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swagart?
Name Census estimates that about 134 living Americans carry the surname Swagart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,557,868 residents.
How common is Swagart?
Swagart ranks #144,270 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 117 people with the surname Swagart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (134), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Swagart.
Has Swagart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swagart went from 115 recorded bearers to 117. That is an increase of 2 (+1.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #144,270.
What does the Census say about the background of Swagart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swagart, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (6.0%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Swagart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swagart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Two or More Races (6.0%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Swagart (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 Swagart mean?
A surname derived from an Old French word for "sweet" or "pleasant." 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 Swagart (0.04 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 people are called Swagart?
If you just want to know how many people are called Swagart, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.