2000
#1,276
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,307
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.38
Uncommon Last name
Swartz
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a person who produced or sold black cloth or clothing.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,602 Americans carry the last name Swartz. That puts it at #1,440 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,418 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swartz 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Swartz with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,418
Census rank
#1,440
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,070 bearers of the surname Swartz in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1440th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swartz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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 The name also appears in various other historical documents from the region, such as the Stadtbücher (city books) of Erfurt and the Urkundenbücher (charter books) of Hessen.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swartz
Among Census respondents with the surname Swartz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Swartz 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 Swartz surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.1% · 22,175
- Two or more races3.2% · 761
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 634
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 216
- Black or African American0.8% · 204
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 80
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swartz
Swartz 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
#1,393
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,444
+137 bearers (+0.5%)
Per 100,000 8.63
Rank movement Down 117 places
2020
#1,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,070
-1,374 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 8.05
Rank movement Down 47 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,276 | 25,307 | 9.38 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,393 | 25,444 | 8.63 | +137 bearers (+0.5%) | Down 117 places |
| 2020 | #1,440 | 24,070 | 8.05 | -1,374 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 47 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 Swartz 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 | #1,393 | #1,440 | -3.4% |
| Count | 25,444 | 24,070 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 8.63 | 8.05 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swartz bearers went from 25,444 to 24,070 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 47 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,393 to #1,440.
FAQ
Swartz surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swartz?
Name Census estimates that about 27,602 living Americans carry the surname Swartz. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,418 residents.
How common is Swartz?
Swartz ranks #1,440 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,070 people with the surname Swartz. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,602), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Swartz.
Has Swartz become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swartz went from 25,444 recorded bearers to 24,070. That is a decrease of 1,374 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,393 to #1,440.
What does the Census say about the background of Swartz?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swartz, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Swartz in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.1% (22,175 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swartz appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.1%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (2.6%). 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 Swartz (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 Swartz mean?
A German and Jewish occupational surname referring to a person who produced or sold black cloth or clothing. 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 Swartz (8.05 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 many people are called Swartz?
See how common the surname Swartz is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.