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

Sweat, 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 Sweat surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sweat in America

Sweat is the 3856th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sweat surname appeared 9,194 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Sweat.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sweat 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 Sweat

The surname SWEAT is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be an occupational name, derived from the Old English word "swat," meaning "perspiration" or "sweat." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who worked in a physically demanding occupation that caused them to sweat profusely, such as a blacksmith or a laborer.

Records from the 13th and 14th centuries indicate that the SWEAT surname was particularly prevalent in the counties of Norfolk and Suffolk in eastern England. Some of the earliest documented instances of the name include Robert Swat, who was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Suffolk in 1310, and John Swet, recorded in the Subsidy Rolls for Norfolk in 1327.

The SWEAT surname has also been linked to various place names throughout England, such as Sweaton in Yorkshire and Swaton in Lincolnshire. These locations may have influenced the spelling variations of the name over time, including Swete, Swett, and Sweatt.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, several notable individuals bore the SWEAT surname. One example is John Swet, a member of the English gentry who lived in the late 16th century. Another is William Sweat, a Puritan minister born in 1624 in Newbury, Massachusetts, who played a significant role in the early history of the American colonies.

In the 18th century, the SWEAT surname gained recognition through figures like Benjamin Swett, a prominent American merchant and politician born in 1718 in Newbury, Massachusetts. He served as a representative in the Massachusetts General Court and was a delegate to the Provincial Congress during the American Revolutionary War.

Another notable bearer of the SWEAT surname was John Swett, an American educator and politician born in 1830 in Pittsfield, New Hampshire. He served as the State Superintendent of Public Instruction in California and was instrumental in establishing the state's public school system.

The 19th century also saw the rise of Samuel Swett, a successful American businessman and philanthropist born in 1825 in Hampstead, New Hampshire. He made his fortune in the textile industry and donated generously to educational institutions, including the founding of the Swett Library at Massachusetts Agricultural College (now the University of Massachusetts Amherst).

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sweat

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

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

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

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