2000
#14,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,871
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.69
Rare Last name
Swayze
A surname of English origin meaning "swayer" and possibly referring to a horse trainer or dancer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,080 Americans carry the last name Swayze. That puts it at #15,530 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 164,786 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swayze 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.
Bearers in the US
2.1K
1 in 164,786
Census rank
#15,530
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,814 bearers of the surname Swayze in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15530th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swayze, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swayze
The surname Swayze has its origins in England, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "swā," meaning "so" or "as," combined with the word "hwæs," meaning "whose." The name likely referred to a person who frequently used the phrase "so whose" in conversation or writing.
One of the earliest known records of the name Swayze appears in the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire, a census-like document compiled in 1273. The name is listed as "Sweyn Swas," which is believed to be an early spelling variation of Swayze.
In the 14th century, the name Swayze surfaced in various manorial records and court rolls across England. One notable example is the mention of a John Swayze in the Court Rolls of the Manor of Wakefield, Yorkshire, in 1348.
During the medieval period, the Swayze family appears to have been concentrated primarily in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. However, by the 16th century, the name had spread to other parts of England, including London and the surrounding areas.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Swayze was William Swayze, born in 1587 in Croydon, Surrey. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in the region.
Another notable figure was Samuel Swayze, born in 1635 in Hertfordshire. He was a Puritan minister who emigrated to New England in the 1660s and played a significant role in the establishment of the town of Newark, New Jersey.
In the 18th century, the Swayze family continued to make their mark. John Swayze (1717-1792), a successful merchant and landowner in New Jersey, was a prominent figure in the American Revolutionary War and served as a delegate to the Continental Congress.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname Swayze was Patrick Swayze (1952-2009), the American actor known for his roles in films such as "Dirty Dancing," "Ghost," and "Road House." He was born in Houston, Texas, and had a successful career in film, television, and theater.
Throughout history, the Swayze name has also been associated with various place names, such as Swayze Creek in Georgia and Swayze Mountain in New Mexico, further reflecting the family's widespread presence and influence across different regions.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swayze
Among Census respondents with the surname Swayze, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Swayze 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 Swayze surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.1% · 1,617
- Black or African American4.0% · 73
- Two or more races3.6% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino1.8% · 33
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swayze
Swayze 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
#15,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,911
+40 bearers (+2.1%)
Per 100,000 0.65
Rank movement Down 757 places
2020
#15,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,814
-97 bearers (-5.1%)
Per 100,000 0.61
Rank movement Down 183 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #14,590 | 1,871 | 0.69 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,347 | 1,911 | 0.65 | +40 bearers (+2.1%) | Down 757 places |
| 2020 | #15,530 | 1,814 | 0.61 | -97 bearers (-5.1%) | Down 183 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 Swayze 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 | #15,347 | #15,530 | -1.2% |
| Count | 1,911 | 1,814 | -5.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.65 | 0.61 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swayze bearers went from 1,911 to 1,814 (-5.1% change). The surname moved down 183 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,347 to #15,530.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Swayze
FAQ
Swayze surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swayze?
Name Census estimates that about 2,080 living Americans carry the surname Swayze. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 164,786 residents.
How common is Swayze?
Swayze ranks #15,530 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.61 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,814 people with the surname Swayze. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,080), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.61 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.61 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Swayze.
Has Swayze become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swayze went from 1,911 recorded bearers to 1,814. That is a decrease of 97 (-5.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,347 to #15,530.
What does the Census say about the background of Swayze?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swayze, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.1%. The next largest groups are Black (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Swayze in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.1% (1,617 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swayze appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.1%), Black (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.6%). 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 Swayze (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 Swayze mean?
A surname of English origin meaning "swayer" and possibly referring to a horse trainer or dancer. 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 Swayze (0.61 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 Swayze?
If you just want to know how common the surname Swayze is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.