Sweedler last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Sweedler

An occupational surname derived from the German word "schweider" meaning swordmaker or bladesmith.

Sweedler, 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 Sweedler surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sweedler in America

Sweedler is the 142108th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sweedler surname appeared 117 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 Sweedler.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sweedler 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 142108 129619 9.19%
Count 117 121 -3.36%
Proportion per 100k 0.04 0.04 0.00%

The history of the last name Sweedler

The surname SWEEDLER originated in Germany. Its earliest recorded use dates back to the 15th century in the region of Bavaria. The name is derived from the Old High German word "swed" meaning "to burn" or "to singe." This suggests that the original bearer of the name may have been a person who worked with fire, such as a blacksmith or a glass blower.

One of the earliest known records of the name SWEEDLER can be found in the Nuremberg chronicle, a famous illustrated world history book published in 1493. The name appears in its original spelling of "Swedler" in this chronicle, which provides valuable insight into the historical origins of the surname.

In the 16th century, the SWEEDLER name began to spread beyond Bavaria to other parts of Germany. During this time, variations in spelling emerged, including "Schwedler" and "Schweedler." These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and differences in pronunciation.

In the 17th century, a notable individual named Hans SWEEDLER (1612-1678) was recorded as a master glassblower in the city of Dresden. His work contributed to the development of the famous Meissen porcelain, and his name is mentioned in several historical accounts of the era.

Another significant figure was Johann SWEEDLER (1734-1801), a German philosopher and theologian. He wrote several influential works on ethics and metaphysics, and his teachings were widely studied in universities across Europe.

In the 19th century, the SWEEDLER name made its way to the United States through German immigration. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Wilhelm SWEEDLER (1821-1897), who settled in Pennsylvania and worked as a blacksmith. His descendants went on to establish a prominent family business in the region.

Another notable figure from this period was Anna SWEEDLER (1848-1923), a pioneering female educator. She founded one of the first schools for girls in the city of Berlin, Germany, and was recognized for her contributions to advancing women's education.

Throughout its history, the surname SWEEDLER has been associated with various professions and occupations, particularly those involving fire and metalwork. Despite its German origins, the name has since spread to other parts of the world, with individuals bearing this surname making significant contributions in various fields.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sweedler

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

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 Sweedler was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 96.58% 113
Non-Hispanic Black Only 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only (S)% (S)
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races (S)% (S)
Hispanic Origin (S)% (S)

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 Sweedler has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 96.58% 97.52% -0.97%
Black 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Asian and Pacific Islander (S)% 0.00% (S)%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.00% 0.00% 0.00%
Two or More Races (S)% (S)% (S)%
Hispanic (S)% (S)% (S)%

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

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Sweedler last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on July 22, 2025. http://namecensus.com/last-names/sweedler-surname-popularity/.

"Sweedler last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/sweedler-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 July, 2025

Sweedler last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/sweedler-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.