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

Swales, 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 Swales surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Swales in America

Swales is the 27042nd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Swales surname appeared 896 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 Swales.

We can also compare 2010 data for Swales 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 Swales

The surname Swales originated in Yorkshire, England, and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old Norse word "svalr," which means "cold stream" or "valley," referring to the geographical features in the area where the name first arose.

Swales is a locational surname, meaning it was initially given to people who lived near or came from a particular location. In this case, the name likely referred to individuals who resided in or near the valleys or dales of Yorkshire. The earliest recorded spelling of the name was "de Swaledale" in the Hundred Rolls of Yorkshire in 1273.

The name appears in several historical records, including the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Suale." This suggests that the name was already in use during the Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century. Other early spellings include "de Swaledale" in the Feet of Fines of Yorkshire in 1301 and "Swayll" in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379.

One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Swales was John de Swaledale, who was mentioned in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1301. Another notable figure was Thomas Swales, a merchant from Hull, who was born in the late 15th century and was involved in trade with the Netherlands.

In the 16th century, a family of Swales owned land in the village of Wensleydale, Yorkshire. One member of this family, William Swales (1547-1627), was a prominent landowner and served as a justice of the peace for the county.

During the English Civil War, Captain Richard Swales (1607-1688) fought for the Parliamentarian forces and was known for his bravery in battle. He later became a member of the Honorable Artillery Company in London.

Another notable individual was Sir Richard Swales (1763-1842), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Napoleonic Wars. He was knighted in 1815 for his distinguished service and rose to the rank of Vice Admiral.

In the 19th century, John Swales (1827-1901) was a renowned architect from Yorkshire who designed several churches and public buildings in the region, including the Church of St. Michael and All Angels in Haworth, which is associated with the Brontë family.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Swales

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

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

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

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