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

Swami, 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 Swami surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Swami in America

Swami is the 62189th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Swami surname appeared 322 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 Swami.

We can also compare 2010 data for Swami 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 Swami

The surname "SWAMI" is of Sanskrit origin, tracing its roots back to ancient India. The word "swami" is derived from the Sanskrit word "svami," meaning "master" or "lord." The title was traditionally used to address Hindu religious teachers, gurus, or ascetics who had attained a high level of spiritual knowledge and enlightenment.

The earliest recorded instances of the word "swami" can be found in ancient Hindu texts and scriptures, such as the Upanishads and the Bhagavad Gita. These texts date back to around the 5th century BCE, indicating the antiquity of the term and its religious significance in Hindu culture.

In medieval India, the title "swami" gained prominence among the various monastic orders and spiritual traditions that emerged during this period. One notable figure was Swami Vivekananda (1863-1902), a Hindu monk and philosopher who played a pivotal role in introducing Hinduism to the Western world at the Parliament of the World's Religions in 1893.

As the use of the title "swami" spread, it eventually became adopted as a surname by some individuals, particularly those associated with spiritual or religious traditions. One example is Swami Sivananda (1887-1963), a renowned Hindu spiritual teacher and founder of the Divine Life Society, who was born in Pattamadai, Tamil Nadu.

Another prominent figure bearing the surname "SWAMI" was Swami Rama Tirtha (1873-1906), a Hindu monk and scholar who traveled extensively across the world, promoting the teachings of Vedanta and establishing ashrams in various countries.

In more recent times, the surname "SWAMI" has been carried by individuals from diverse backgrounds, not necessarily limited to spiritual or religious contexts. One such individual was Swami Vipulananda (1892-1947), an Indian freedom fighter and social reformer who advocated for the rights of the underprivileged and participated in the Indian independence movement.

While the surname "SWAMI" has its roots in the ancient Hindu traditions of India, it has transcended its original religious connotations and has been adopted by individuals from various walks of life, both within and beyond the Indian subcontinent.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Swami

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

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

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

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