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

Swayney, 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 Swayney surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Swayney in America

Swayney is the 116829th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Swayney surname appeared 149 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Swayney.

We can also compare 2010 data for Swayney 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 Swayney

The surname Swayney is of English origin and dates back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English personal name Swegen, which means "warrior" or "battleworthy". The name Swegen was brought to England by Scandinavian settlers during the Anglo-Saxon period.

The earliest recorded spelling of the surname Swayney can be found in the records of the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1192, where one Robert Sweyn was listed. Another early record dates back to 1273, when a Richard Sweyn was mentioned in the Hundred Rolls of Huntingdonshire.

Over time, the name Swayney evolved from its Old English roots, with various spellings such as Sweyn, Swayn, Swain, and Swayney being used interchangeably. The name was particularly prevalent in the northern counties of England, including Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, and Nottinghamshire.

One notable figure bearing the surname Swayney was Sir Richard Swayney, a 14th-century English knight who fought in the Hundred Years' War under Edward III. He was born around 1320 and is recorded as having participated in the Battle of Crécy in 1346.

Another prominent individual was John Swayney, a 16th-century English clergyman and academic. He was born in Lincolnshire in 1535 and served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge, from 1589 until his death in 1607.

In the 17th century, the surname Swayney was associated with the village of Swayneswick in Lincolnshire. This place name likely derived from the same Old English personal name Swegen, suggesting a connection between the surname and the location.

One notable bearer of the Swayney surname was Thomas Swayney, a 17th-century English philosopher and writer. He was born in Yorkshire in 1625 and authored several works on ethics and moral philosophy, including "The Principles of Moral Philosophy" published in 1692.

Another historical figure was Sir Robert Swayney, a prominent 18th-century English merchant and politician. He was born in Nottinghamshire in 1718 and served as a Member of Parliament for the borough of Newark from 1754 to 1784.

The surname Swayney has also been carried by individuals of note in more recent times, though specific details about modern-day bearers of the name are not included in this historical account.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Swayney

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

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

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

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