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

Swain, 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 Swain surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Swain in America

Swain is the 1412th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Swain surname appeared 25,157 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Swain.

We can also compare 2010 data for Swain 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 Swain

The surname Swain originated in England and can be traced back to the Old English words "swan" and "swein", meaning a servant or herdsman. It was likely used as an occupational surname for those who tended swans or herded livestock.

In medieval times, the name Swain was most prevalent in the southern counties of England, particularly in Wiltshire, Dorset, and Somerset. The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Sweyn" in various locations across the country.

The surname Swain has several historical references, including its appearance in the Pipe Rolls of Wiltshire in 1195, where a Robert Sweyn is mentioned. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a Walter Sweyn is recorded in Oxfordshire, and in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1332, a John Sweyn is listed.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Swain can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Dorset from 1189, which mention a Robert Swain. Another early example is Walter Swain, who was recorded as a landowner in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Swain. One of the earliest was John Swain (c. 1370-1450), an English cleric who served as the Bishop of Bangor from 1389 to 1399. Another early figure was William Swain (c. 1490-1577), an English lawyer and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.

In the 17th century, John Swain (1613-1683) was a prominent English clergyman and author who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. During the same period, John Swain (1640-1707) was a Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London.

In the 19th century, Joseph Swain (1857-1909) was an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, while Charles Swain (1801-1874) was an American Baptist minister and educator who served as the sixth president of Brown University.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Swain

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

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

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

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