2000
#124,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 127
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Swatman
An occupational surname derived from the Middle English word "swat," meaning a woodcutter or forest ranger.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 122 Americans carry the last name Swatman. That puts it at #152,339 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,809,462 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swatman 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 Swatman with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
122
1 in 2,809,462
Census rank
#152,339
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
106
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 106 bearers of the surname Swatman in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 152339th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swatman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swatman
The surname Swatman originates from England and can be traced back to the 13th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English words "swætan" meaning to sweat or toil, and "mann" meaning man. This suggests that the name may have been initially given as an occupational surname to someone who worked in a physically demanding profession, such as a laborer or farmer.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name dates back to the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379, where it was spelled as "Swateman". This spelling variation indicates that the name was in use during the Middle Ages. Another early reference can be found in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield from the 14th century, where the name appears as "Swathman".
The surname is thought to have originated in the northern counties of England, particularly Yorkshire and Lancashire. It is possible that the name may have been associated with certain place names or locations where the bearers of the name resided, but there is no definitive evidence of this.
In the 16th century, records show a John Swatman who was born in Yorkshire in 1535. He was a prominent figure in the local community and served as a church warden. Another notable individual was Thomas Swatman, born in Lancashire in 1612, who was a successful merchant and landowner.
During the 17th century, the name appears in various parish records and tax rolls. One example is William Swatman, born in Yorkshire in 1658, who was a farmer and landowner. In the 18th century, there was a Robert Swatman, born in Lancashire in 1722, who was a renowned clockmaker and watchmaker.
Another individual of note was John Swatman, born in Yorkshire in 1789, who was a prominent figure in the local textile industry and served as a magistrate. His son, also named John Swatman (1820-1895), followed in his footsteps and became a successful businessman in the textile trade.
While the surname is not as common today as some other English surnames, it has persisted throughout history and has been borne by individuals from various walks of life, reflecting the diverse origins and meanings behind family names.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swatman
Among Census respondents with the surname Swatman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Swatman 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 Swatman surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.3% · 101
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 3
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swatman
Swatman 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
#149,395
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 110
-17 bearers (-13.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 24,523 places
2020
#152,339
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 106
-4 bearers (-3.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,944 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #124,872 | 127 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #149,395 | 110 | 0.04 | -17 bearers (-13.4%) | Down 24,523 places |
| 2020 | #152,339 | 106 | 0.04 | -4 bearers (-3.6%) | Down 2,944 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 Swatman 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 | #149,395 | #152,339 | -2.0% |
| Count | 110 | 106 | -3.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -11.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swatman bearers went from 110 to 106 (-3.6% change). The surname moved down 2,944 positions in the national ranking, going from #149,395 to #152,339.
FAQ
Swatman surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swatman?
Name Census estimates that about 122 living Americans carry the surname Swatman. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,809,462 residents.
How common is Swatman?
Swatman ranks #152,339 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 106 people with the surname Swatman. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (122), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Swatman.
Has Swatman become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swatman went from 110 recorded bearers to 106. That is a decrease of 4 (-3.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #149,395 to #152,339.
What does the Census say about the background of Swatman?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swatman, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.8%) and Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Swatman in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.3% (101 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swatman appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.3%), Hispanic (2.8%), Two or More Races (1.9%). 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 Swatman (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 Swatman mean?
An occupational surname derived from the Middle English word "swat," meaning a woodcutter or forest ranger. 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 Swatman (0.04 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 Swatman?
If you just want to know how common the surname Swatman is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.