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

Swayne, 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 Swayne surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Swayne in America

Swayne is the 16295th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Swayne surname appeared 1,770 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 Swayne.

We can also compare 2010 data for Swayne 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 Swayne

The surname Swayne has its origins in England, where it first emerged in the 13th century. It is believed to be a locational name, derived from the Old English word "swain," which means a young man or a servant. This suggests that early bearers of the name were likely servants or workers on a particular estate or land.

The earliest recorded instance of the name Swayne can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1273, where a person named William Sweyn is mentioned. The name is also found in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire in 1327, where it is spelled "Sweyn."

During the medieval period, the name Swayne was particularly prevalent in the counties of Lincolnshire, Worcestershire, and Somerset. It is thought that the variations in spelling, such as Sweyn, Swain, and Swayne, may have arisen due to regional dialects and the preferences of scribes who recorded the name.

One notable historical figure with the surname Swayne was Sir Robert Swayne, who lived in the 15th century and served as the Lord Mayor of London in 1470. Another prominent individual was Henry Swayne, born in 1520, who was a member of the English gentry and held lands in Somerset.

In the 17th century, a man named Francis Swayne, born in 1628, was a prominent English clergyman and author. He served as the Rector of Winslow in Buckinghamshire and wrote several religious works.

Moving into the 18th century, William Swayne, born in 1717, was a notable English architect who designed several churches and buildings in the Palladian style. His most famous work is the Church of St. Mary Magdalene in Taunton, Somerset.

Another individual of note is Joseph Swayne, born in 1786, who was a British naval officer and explorer. He served in the Royal Navy and is known for leading an expedition to explore parts of the Canadian Arctic in the early 19th century.

Throughout its history, the surname Swayne has maintained a strong presence in various parts of England, particularly in the counties where it first emerged. While its origins can be traced back to the 13th century, the name has endured and continues to be carried by families around the world.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Swayne

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

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

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