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

Swaim, 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 Swaim surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Swaim in America

Swaim is the 6407th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Swaim surname appeared 5,310 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 2 people would have the surname Swaim.

We can also compare 2010 data for Swaim 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 Swaim

The surname Swaim has its origins in the Anglo-Saxon culture of medieval England. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word "swæm," which means "herdsman" or "swineherd." This occupation-based surname likely referred to someone who tended to pigs or other livestock during the early medieval period.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. The entry "Suam" is listed as a landowner in the county of Somerset. This spelling variation is a reflection of how surnames evolved and were adapted over time.

The Swaim surname is particularly prevalent in the counties of Somerset, Devon, and Dorset in southwestern England. These regions were historically dominated by agricultural communities, which may explain the name's association with the herding profession.

In the 13th century, a John Swaim was recorded as a witness in a legal document from the town of Taunton, Somerset. This early record provides evidence of the surname's existence in the area during the Middle Ages.

Notable individuals with the Swaim surname include Sir Ambrose Swaim (1546-1628), a prominent English landowner and Member of Parliament for Somerset. Another figure was Captain John Swaim (1702-1776), a British naval officer who served during the War of the Austrian Succession and the Seven Years' War.

In the United States, one of the earliest recorded instances of the Swaim surname dates back to the late 17th century. William Swaim (1655-1735) was a Quaker from Yorkshire, England, who immigrated to Pennsylvania in the 1680s and became a prominent landowner and community leader.

Another notable American with the Swaim surname was Benjamin Swaim (1786-1868), a Quaker minister and abolitionist from North Carolina. He actively campaigned against slavery and worked to establish schools for free African Americans in the antebellum South.

The Swaim surname has also been documented in other parts of the world, likely due to migration and immigration patterns. For example, John Swaim (1892-1968) was a Canadian author and journalist who wrote extensively about the history and culture of British Columbia.

While the specific origins of surnames can be difficult to pinpoint with absolute certainty, the evidence suggests that Swaim is an occupational surname that emerged in medieval England, particularly in the southwestern counties where agricultural communities thrived. Throughout history, individuals bearing this surname have made their mark in various fields, from politics and military service to literature and social activism.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Swaim

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

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

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

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