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

Swanson, 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 Swanson surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Swanson in America

Swanson is the 424th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Swanson surname appeared 76,897 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 26 people would have the surname Swanson.

We can also compare 2010 data for Swanson 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 Swanson

The surname Swanson is of English origin, derived from the Old English words "swan" and "sunu," meaning "son of the swan keeper." It dates back to the early medieval period in England, around the 11th century.

The name was initially associated with individuals who were responsible for tending and caring for swans, which were highly valued birds during that time. Swans were often kept as royal birds, and their owners held a respected position.

One of the earliest records of the name Swanson can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners and tenants throughout England. The name appeared as "Swanessune" in this historical document.

In the 12th century, the surname Swanson began to appear in various forms, such as "Swanesone," "Swanesson," and "Swanson." These variations reflect the regional dialects and spelling conventions of the time.

During the medieval period, the name Swanson was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in East Anglia, where swan breeding and rearing were common activities.

One notable figure with the surname Swanson was Sir John Swanson, a 14th-century English knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. Another early bearer of the name was William Swanson, a merchant from Norwich who was recorded in the city's records in the late 15th century.

In the 16th century, the name Swanson appeared in several parish records and court documents across England, indicating its widespread use. A notable example is Thomas Swanson, a landowner from Lincolnshire who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines (legal records) in 1558.

The surname Swanson continued to be prevalent in England throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. One notable figure was James Swanson, a member of the Parliament of England during the English Civil War in the mid-17th century.

As the British Empire expanded, the surname Swanson also spread to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, where it was carried by English settlers and immigrants.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Swanson

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

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

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Swanson, 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!