2000
#11,844
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,422
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.90
Rare Last name
Sweeten
An occupational surname referring to a confectioner or one who makes sweets or candies.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,627 Americans carry the last name Sweeten. That puts it at #12,830 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,474 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sweeten 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 Sweeten with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.6K
1 in 130,474
Census rank
#12,830
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,291 bearers of the surname Sweeten in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12830th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sweeten, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sweeten
The surname Sweeten is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "swete," meaning "sweet" or "pleasant." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone with a sweet or pleasant demeanor.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname Sweeten can be traced back to the 13th and 14th centuries in various county records and tax rolls. One notable early reference is in the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1275, which mentions a John Swetemon.
In the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273, which were a survey of landowners in England, there is a record of a Robert Sweteman residing in Oxfordshire. This spelling variation, "Sweteman," provides insight into the name's evolution over time.
The Sweeten surname is also found in the Feet of Fines for Essex from 1310, which were legal records of land transfers. This suggests that the name was present in various regions of England during the medieval period.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname Sweeten was William Sweeten, who was born around 1480 in Worcestershire, England. He was a farmer and landowner during the reign of Henry VII.
In the 16th century, a notable figure with the surname Sweeten was John Sweeten (c. 1525-1589), a merchant and alderman in the city of London. He was involved in the wool trade and served as an alderman during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
During the 17th century, a prominent individual with the Sweeten surname was Robert Sweeten (1616-1687), a wealthy landowner and member of the gentry in Gloucestershire. He was involved in local politics and served as a Justice of the Peace.
Another notable figure was Reverend Samuel Sweeten (1650-1721), an Anglican clergyman and author who served as the Rector of Sutton Coldfield in Warwickshire. He published several religious works during his lifetime.
In the 18th century, a notable Sweeten was Captain William Sweeten (1720-1789), a British naval officer who served in the Royal Navy during the Seven Years' War and the American Revolutionary War.
These examples illustrate the presence of the Sweeten surname across various regions of England and its association with individuals from different social backgrounds, from landowners and merchants to clergymen and military officers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sweeten
Among Census respondents with the surname Sweeten, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Sweeten 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 Sweeten surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White81.8% · 1,874
- Black or African American6.5% · 150
- Two or more races5.5% · 125
- Hispanic or Latino4.8% · 109
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 23
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sweeten
Sweeten 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
#11,200
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,822
+400 bearers (+16.5%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Up 644 places
2020
#12,830
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,291
-531 bearers (-18.8%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 1,630 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,844 | 2,422 | 0.90 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,200 | 2,822 | 0.96 | +400 bearers (+16.5%) | Up 644 places |
| 2020 | #12,830 | 2,291 | 0.77 | -531 bearers (-18.8%) | Down 1,630 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 Sweeten 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 | #11,200 | #12,830 | -14.6% |
| Count | 2,822 | 2,291 | -18.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.77 | -20.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sweeten bearers went from 2,822 to 2,291 (-18.8% change). The surname moved down 1,630 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,200 to #12,830.
FAQ
Sweeten surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sweeten?
Name Census estimates that about 2,627 living Americans carry the surname Sweeten. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,474 residents.
How common is Sweeten?
Sweeten ranks #12,830 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 2,291 people with the surname Sweeten. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,627), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sweeten.
Has Sweeten become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sweeten went from 2,822 recorded bearers to 2,291. That is a decrease of 531 (-18.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,200 to #12,830.
What does the Census say about the background of Sweeten?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sweeten, the largest self-reported group is White at 81.8%. The next largest groups are Black (6.5%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Sweeten in the 2020 Census, accounting for 81.8% (1,874 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sweeten appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (81.8%), Black (6.5%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Sweeten (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 Sweeten mean?
An occupational surname referring to a confectioner or one who makes sweets or candies. 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 Sweeten (0.77 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 are called Sweeten?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Sweeten on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.