2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sweenie
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic word "suain" meaning sleep or slumber.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 118 Americans carry the last name Sweenie. That puts it at #154,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,904,698 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sweenie 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Sweenie with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
118
1 in 2,904,698
Census rank
#154,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
103
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 103 bearers of the surname Sweenie in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sweenie, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sweenie
The surname "SWEENIE" is believed to have originated in Scotland during the late medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name derived from the lands of Sweenie in Aberdeenshire. The name likely stems from the Gaelic words "suain" meaning "sleep" and "innis" meaning "island or meadow," suggesting it may have referred to a peaceful resting place.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1456, which mentions a John Sweny. The name appears with various spellings in early records, such as Sweny, Sueny, and Sueynie. It is believed that the modern spelling of "SWEENIE" became more standardized in the 17th century.
During the 16th century, the Sweenie family held lands in Aberdeenshire, and the name is associated with the nearby village of Newburgh. A notable figure from this era was Alexander Sweenie, who served as the Provost of Newburgh in the late 1500s.
In the 17th century, the Sweenie surname spread beyond Scotland, with bearers of the name appearing in Ireland and England. One notable figure from this period was Sir Robert Sweenie, an Irish landowner and member of the Irish Parliament, who lived from 1620 to 1685.
In the 18th century, the Sweenie name continued to be prominent in Scotland, particularly in Aberdeenshire and the surrounding areas. A notable figure was John Sweenie, a Scottish philosopher and educator who lived from 1734 to 1799.
In the 19th century, the Sweenie surname began to appear more frequently in other parts of the world due to Scottish emigration. One notable bearer of the name was Thomas Sweenie, an Australian explorer and surveyor who lived from 1809 to 1876.
Another prominent figure with the surname Sweenie was James Sweenie, an American businessman and industrialist who lived from 1856 to 1923. He founded the Sweenie Manufacturing Company, which produced various industrial products.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sweenie
Among Census respondents with the surname Sweenie, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sweenie 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 Sweenie surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.3% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino6.8% · 7
- Black or African American3.9% · 4
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sweenie
Sweenie 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
#133,863
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 126
+13 bearers (+11.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 2,920 places
2020
#154,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 103
-23 bearers (-18.3%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 20,319 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #133,863 | 126 | 0.04 | +13 bearers (+11.5%) | Up 2,920 places |
| 2020 | #154,182 | 103 | 0.03 | -23 bearers (-18.3%) | Down 20,319 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 Sweenie 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 | #133,863 | #154,182 | -15.2% |
| Count | 126 | 103 | -18.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sweenie bearers went from 126 to 103 (-18.3% change). The surname moved down 20,319 positions in the national ranking, going from #133,863 to #154,182.
FAQ
Sweenie surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sweenie?
Name Census estimates that about 118 living Americans carry the surname Sweenie. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,904,698 residents.
How common is Sweenie?
Sweenie ranks #154,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 103 people with the surname Sweenie. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (118), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sweenie.
Has Sweenie become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sweenie went from 126 recorded bearers to 103. That is a decrease of 23 (-18.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #133,863 to #154,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Sweenie?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sweenie, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.3%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (6.8%) and Black (3.9%). 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 Sweenie in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.3% (91 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sweenie appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.3%), Hispanic (6.8%), Black (3.9%). 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 Sweenie (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 Sweenie mean?
A Scottish surname derived from the Gaelic word "suain" meaning sleep or slumber. 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 Sweenie (0.03 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 share the surname Sweenie?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.