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

Sweatt, 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 Sweatt surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sweatt in America

Sweatt is the 8848th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sweatt surname appeared 3,703 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 Sweatt.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sweatt 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 Sweatt

The surname SWEATT originates from England, with its earliest recorded instances dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "swat," which means "a track or path," indicating that the name may have originally referred to someone who lived near a well-trodden path or road.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SWEATT can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Islington, London, where a certain John Sweatt was christened in 1587. The name also appeared in the records of the Hertfordshire County in the late 16th century, with mentions of a Robert Sweatt and a William Sweatt.

During the 17th century, the name SWEATT began to spread across various parts of England, with records showing individuals bearing this surname in counties such as Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire. One notable individual from this period was Thomas Sweatt, who was born in Exeter, Devon, in 1623 and later became a merchant in Bristol.

As the British Empire expanded, the name SWEATT found its way to other parts of the world, particularly in North America. One of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the American colonies was that of John Sweatt, who settled in Newbury, Massachusetts, in the mid-17th century.

Another individual of note was William Sweatt, born in 1692 in Salisbury, Massachusetts. He served as a soldier during the French and Indian War and later settled in Hampstead, New Hampshire, where he became a prominent landowner and farmer.

In the 19th century, the SWEATT name gained further recognition with the birth of John Sweatt (1834-1910), a prominent lawyer and jurist from Maine. He served as a judge on the Maine Supreme Judicial Court and was widely respected for his legal expertise and judicial integrity.

Another notable figure was Sarah Sweatt (1818-1899), an American educator and activist who played a significant role in the women's suffrage movement. She founded the first school for girls in Portland, Maine, and was a vocal advocate for women's rights and educational opportunities.

Throughout its history, the SWEATT surname has undergone various spelling variations, including Sweat, Sweete, and Sweete. However, the core pronunciation and meaning have remained largely unchanged, reflecting the name's origins and the journeys of those who have carried it across generations and continents.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sweatt

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

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

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

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