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

Swartz, 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 Swartz surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Swartz in America

Swartz is the 1393rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Swartz surname appeared 25,444 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Swartz.

We can also compare 2010 data for Swartz 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 Swartz

The surname Swartz has its origins in Germany, with records dating back to the 13th century. It is believed to be derived from the German word "schwarz," meaning "black," which could have been used as a descriptive name for someone with dark hair or complexion, or perhaps referring to their occupation or place of residence.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the town records of Mühlhausen, Thuringia, where a certain Heinricus Swartz was mentioned in 1285. The name also appears in various other historical documents from the region, such as the Stadtbücher (city books) of Erfurt and the Urkundenbücher (charter books) of Hessen.

In the 14th century, the name spread to other parts of Germany, with variations in spelling such as Schwartz, Schwarz, and Swarz. The town of Schwäbisch Hall in Baden-Württemberg had a notable family of Swartz tanners and furriers who were influential in the local guild system.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Johannes Swartz, a Catholic theologian and preacher who lived in Nuremberg from around 1450 to 1510. He was known for his fiery sermons and his criticism of the excesses of the Church.

In the 16th century, the name gained prominence with the astronomer and mathematician Caspar Swartz (1501-1561), who was born in Holzheim, Bavaria. He is best known for his work on comets and for his contributions to the development of the Gregorian calendar.

Another notable figure was the Swedish botanist Olof Swartz (1760-1818), who made significant contributions to the study of plant life in the West Indies and South America. He is credited with the discovery and classification of numerous plant species, and his work was instrumental in the development of modern taxonomy.

During the 19th century, the name spread further across Europe and to other parts of the world, including North America, where it was often anglicized to "Schwartz." One of the most famous bearers of the name was the Hungarian-American business magnate and philanthropist George Swartz (1857-1923), who made his fortune in the steel industry and was a major benefactor of educational institutions in the United States.

Other notable individuals with the surname Swartz include the German-American painter and printmaker Rudolf Swartz (1839-1907), the Swedish composer and pianist Franz Berwald (originally Franz Adolf Swartz, 1796-1868), and the American botanist Olga Hartman Swartz (1920-2010), who made significant contributions to the study of mosses and liverworts.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Swartz

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

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

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

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