2000
#9,670
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,084
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.14
Rare Last name
Swanger
An occupational surname for a farmhand or servant, derived from the German word "Schwanger," meaning "laborer" or "plowman."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,047 Americans carry the last name Swanger. That puts it at #11,348 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,489 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swanger 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
3.0K
1 in 112,489
Census rank
#11,348
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,657 bearers of the surname Swanger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11348th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swanger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swanger
The surname Swanger has its origins in the German language, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, which was historically part of the Holy Roman Empire. The name is thought to be derived from the Old German word "swang," meaning "to swing" or "to sway," potentially referencing an occupation related to woodworking or carpentry.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name Swanger can be found in the Codex Traditionum Corbeiensium, a medieval manuscript from the Corvey Abbey in present-day North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, dated around the 9th century. This manuscript contains a list of land grants and donations, including references to individuals with the surname Swanger or similar spellings.
In the 13th century, there are records of a family by the name of Swanger residing in the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, a well-preserved medieval town in the Franconian region of Bavaria. This family is believed to have been involved in the local woodworking industry, further supporting the theory of the name's occupational origins.
During the Renaissance period, a notable figure named Johann Swanger (1492-1557) was a renowned woodcarver and sculptor based in Nuremberg, a city renowned for its rich artistic heritage. His intricate wooden carvings adorned several churches and buildings in the city, earning him a reputation as a master craftsman.
Another historical figure bearing the surname Swanger was Hans Swanger (1546-1612), a German architect and engineer who played a significant role in the construction of fortifications and defensive structures during the Thirty Years' War. His expertise in military engineering was highly sought after by various German principalities.
In the 18th century, a family by the name of Swanger settled in the town of Zweibrücken, in the present-day German state of Rhineland-Palatinate. One member of this family, Friedrich Swanger (1723-1798), was a respected clockmaker and watchmaker, whose timepieces were prized for their precision and craftsmanship.
As the Swanger name spread across German-speaking regions, it also found its way into other European countries through migration and intermarriage. In the 19th century, a notable figure named Anton Swanger (1815-1887) was a prominent Austrian painter and art teacher, known for his landscape paintings and portraiture.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swanger
Among Census respondents with the surname Swanger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Swanger 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 Swanger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.7% · 2,463
- Two or more races3.1% · 83
- Hispanic or Latino3.0% · 79
- Black or African American0.6% · 17
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 6
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swanger
Swanger appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#9,217
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,536
+452 bearers (+14.7%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Up 453 places
2020
#11,348
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,657
-879 bearers (-24.9%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 2,131 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,670 | 3,084 | 1.14 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,217 | 3,536 | 1.20 | +452 bearers (+14.7%) | Up 453 places |
| 2020 | #11,348 | 2,657 | 0.89 | -879 bearers (-24.9%) | Down 2,131 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 Swanger 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 | #9,217 | #11,348 | -23.1% |
| Count | 3,536 | 2,657 | -24.9% |
| Per 100K | 1.20 | 0.89 | -25.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swanger bearers went from 3,536 to 2,657 (-24.9% change). The surname moved down 2,131 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,217 to #11,348.
FAQ
Swanger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swanger?
Name Census estimates that about 3,047 living Americans carry the surname Swanger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,489 residents.
How common is Swanger?
Swanger ranks #11,348 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,657 people with the surname Swanger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,047), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Swanger.
Has Swanger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swanger went from 3,536 recorded bearers to 2,657. That is a decrease of 879 (-24.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,217 to #11,348.
What does the Census say about the background of Swanger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swanger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Swanger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.7% (2,463 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swanger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.7%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (3.0%). 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 Swanger (2000, 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 Swanger mean?
An occupational surname for a farmhand or servant, derived from the German word "Schwanger," meaning "laborer" or "plowman." 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 Swanger (0.89 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 common is the surname Swanger?
You can see how common the surname Swanger is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.