2000
#10,831
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,701
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.00
Rare Last name
Sweigart
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "sweigen," meaning "to pasture cattle" or "to herd livestock."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,998 Americans carry the last name Sweigart. That puts it at #11,513 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 114,328 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sweigart 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.
Bearers in the US
3.0K
1 in 114,328
Census rank
#11,513
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,614 bearers of the surname Sweigart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11513th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sweigart, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sweigart
The surname Sweigart is believed to have originated in Germany, possibly in the region of Bavaria. It likely emerged during the Middle Ages, sometime between the 11th and 15th centuries.
One theory suggests that the name Sweigart is derived from the Old German word "sweiga," meaning a herdsman or keeper of swine. This would indicate that the name's origins are occupational, referring to someone who tended to pigs or worked with swine.
Another possibility is that the name Sweigart is a locational surname, derived from a place name. There are several villages and towns in Germany with similar names, such as Schweigern or Schweigen, which could have contributed to the formation of the surname.
The earliest recorded instances of the name Sweigart can be traced back to the 16th and 17th centuries. One notable example is Johann Sweigart, a German immigrant who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, in 1732.
In the 18th century, the name appears in various historical records and documents across Germany. For instance, a reference to a certain Hans Sweigart can be found in the church records of the town of Ettlingen, near Karlsruhe, in 1756.
During the 19th century, the Sweigart surname gained prominence with several notable individuals. One such person was Christian Sweigart (1795-1868), a German-American farmer and businessman who played a significant role in the early development of Berks County, Pennsylvania.
Another prominent figure was Adam Sweigart (1832-1908), a German-American businessman and philanthropist from Reading, Pennsylvania. He founded the Sweigart & Son Company, a successful manufacturing enterprise, and made substantial contributions to educational institutions.
In the field of academia, Carl Sweigart (1876-1953) was an American educator and author who served as the president of Heidelberg College in Ohio from 1923 to 1949.
Additionally, the name Sweigart has been associated with various place names and locations throughout history. For instance, there is a small community called Sweigartsville in Berks County, Pennsylvania, which was likely named after an early settler with the Sweigart surname.
While the surname Sweigart is not among the most common in the world, it has a rich history and can be traced back to its Germanic roots, where it may have originated as either an occupational or locational surname.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sweigart
Among Census respondents with the surname Sweigart, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sweigart 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 Sweigart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.6% · 2,448
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 75
- Two or more races2.4% · 62
- Black or African American0.6% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 11
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sweigart
Sweigart 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
#11,789
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,658
-43 bearers (-1.6%)
Per 100,000 0.90
Rank movement Down 958 places
2020
#11,513
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,614
-44 bearers (-1.7%)
Per 100,000 0.87
Rank movement Up 276 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,831 | 2,701 | 1.00 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,789 | 2,658 | 0.90 | -43 bearers (-1.6%) | Down 958 places |
| 2020 | #11,513 | 2,614 | 0.87 | -44 bearers (-1.7%) | Up 276 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 Sweigart 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 | #11,789 | #11,513 | 2.3% |
| Count | 2,658 | 2,614 | -1.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.90 | 0.87 | -2.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sweigart bearers went from 2,658 to 2,614 (-1.7% change). The surname moved up 276 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,789 to #11,513.
FAQ
Sweigart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sweigart?
Name Census estimates that about 2,998 living Americans carry the surname Sweigart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 114,328 residents.
How common is Sweigart?
Sweigart ranks #11,513 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.87 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 2,614 people with the surname Sweigart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,998), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.87 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 Sweigart.
Has Sweigart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sweigart went from 2,658 recorded bearers to 2,614. That is a decrease of 44 (-1.7%). In the national ranking it rose from #11,789 to #11,513.
What does the Census say about the background of Sweigart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sweigart, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.6%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.9%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Sweigart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.6% (2,448 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sweigart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.6%), Hispanic (2.9%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Sweigart (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 Sweigart mean?
A German occupational surname derived from the Middle High German word "sweigen," meaning "to pasture cattle" or "to herd livestock." 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 Sweigart (0.87 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 Americans have the surname Sweigart?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.