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

Swanigan, 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 Swanigan surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Swanigan in America

Swanigan is the 18457th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Swanigan surname appeared 1,499 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Swanigan.

We can also compare 2010 data for Swanigan 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 Swanigan

The surname Swanigan is believed to have originated in England during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from an Old English word "swanig" or "swaniger," meaning a keeper or herdsman of swans. This occupation was particularly common in areas where swans were highly prized and protected by the nobility or crown.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Swanigan can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire from 1196, which mentions a "Robert Swaniger." This suggests that the name had already been established in England by the late 12th century.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the Swanigan surname appeared in various manorial records and tax rolls across different regions of England. For example, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 listed a "John Swanyger," while the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1428 mentioned a "Thomas Swanyngger."

In some instances, the name may have also been associated with certain place names that incorporated the word "swan" or related terms. For instance, the village of Swanage in Dorset, derived from the Old English "swanawic" meaning "a dwelling by a marsh frequented by swans," could have contributed to the development of the Swanigan surname in that region.

One notable individual bearing the Swanigan surname was Sir John Swanigan, a prominent landowner and member of the gentry in Staffordshire during the 15th century. Records show that he served as a Justice of the Peace and was knighted by King Henry VI in 1444.

Another historical figure was William Swanigan, a yeoman farmer from Wiltshire who gained some notoriety during the English Civil War. In 1645, he was among a group of local militia who helped defend the town of Salisbury against the Royalist forces.

In the 16th century, the Swanigan surname appeared to have spread to other parts of the British Isles. For instance, a John Swanigan was recorded as a merchant in Aberdeen, Scotland, in 1573.

By the 17th century, variations in the spelling of the name became more common, with forms such as Swannegan, Swannigin, and Swannigar appearing in various records across England and Wales.

One noteworthy individual from this period was Richard Swanigan, a prominent Puritan minister who served as the Rector of Stratton in Cornwall from 1630 until his death in 1671.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Swanigan

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

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!