Swearingen
An English occupational surname referring to a keeper of pigs or hogs, derived from the Old English "swēora" meaning "herdsman."
According to the 2010 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,152 Americans carry the last name Swearingen. That puts it at #4,506 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.67 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 37,451 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swearingen surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, 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
9.2K
1 in 37,451
Census rank
#4,506
2010 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
7.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 7,872 bearers of the surname Swearingen in its 2010 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.67 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4506th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swearingen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (2.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swearingen
The surname Swearingen is of German origin, derived from the Old German words "sweren" meaning "to swear" and "ingen" meaning "people" or "settlement." It likely originated in the region of modern-day Germany in the 12th or 13th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of this surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from Germany, where a "Swerngin" is mentioned as a witness to a land transaction in the year 1269.
The name may have been initially given to someone who had a reputation for swearing or taking oaths frequently, or it could have referred to a group of people who lived in a settlement where oaths were commonly taken, perhaps near a court or place of legal proceedings.
In the 14th century, the name appears in various forms such as "Sweringen," "Sweringin," and "Sweringen" in records from the regions of Bavaria and Saxony.
One notable bearer of the Swearingen name was Johannes Swearingen, a German monk and scholar who lived from 1492 to 1557. He was known for his writings on theology and his contributions to the Protestant Reformation.
Another notable figure was Thomas Swearingen, born in 1695 in Hesse, Germany, who immigrated to colonial America in the early 18th century and settled in what is now Loudoun County, Virginia. He and his descendants played a significant role in the early settlement and development of that region.
In the United States, the Swearingen name can be traced back to the 18th century, with many immigrants arriving from various parts of Germany and Switzerland. Some early bearers of the name include Jacob Swearingen, born in 1725 in Pennsylvania, and Michael Swearingen, born in 1730 in Virginia.
The Swearingen name was also present in the American Civil War, with several individuals serving in both the Union and Confederate armies, such as Captain John Swearingen, who served in the 6th Ohio Volunteer Cavalry Regiment for the Union.
Throughout its history, the Swearingen surname has been associated with various occupations and professions, including farming, law, education, and military service.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swearingen
Among Census respondents with the surname Swearingen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (2.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Swearingen bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2010 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.
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 Swearingen surname at the time of the 2010 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.0%
- Hispanic or Latino2.9%
- Black or African American2.8%
- Two or more races2.1%
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8%
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5%
Year on year
2000 vs 2010 Census
How has the Swearingen surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
| Metric | 2000 | 2010 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #4,292 | #4,506 | -5.0% |
| Count | 7,641 | 7,872 | 3.0% |
| Per 100K | 2.83 | 2.67 | -5.7% |
Between the 2000 and 2010 Census, the number of Swearingen bearers went from 7,641 to 7,872 (+3.0% change). The surname moved down 214 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,292 to #4,506.
FAQ
Swearingen surname: questions and answers
How common is the last name Swearingen?
The surname Swearingen holds position #4,506 in the US Census Bureau's surname ranking, with an estimated 9,152 living bearers. It occurs at a rate of 2.67 per 100,000 Americans.
What is the ethnic background of the Swearingen surname?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swearingen, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Black (2.8%). These figures come from the 2010 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Where does this surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These tables list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2010 Census, along with a frequency rate and self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.