2000
#146,011
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Swersky
A surname derived from a Slavic root meaning "traveler" or "wanderer."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 132 Americans carry the last name Swersky. That puts it at #145,757 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,596,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swersky 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
132
1 in 2,596,624
Census rank
#145,757
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
115
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 115 bearers of the surname Swersky in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 145757th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swersky, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swersky
The surname Swersky originates from Eastern Europe, most likely from Poland or the surrounding regions. It is believed to have derived from the Slavic root word "svershit," which means "to accomplish" or "to finish." This suggests that the name may have initially belonged to someone who excelled in a particular craft or trade.
The earliest recorded instances of the Swersky surname date back to the 16th century, when it appeared in various historical documents and records from the Polish-Lithuanian Commonwealth. One notable mention is found in the archives of the city of Krakow, where a merchant named Jan Swersky is recorded as having conducted business transactions in the year 1572.
In the 17th century, the Swersky name is associated with a prominent family of nobles in the Volyn region, which is now part of modern-day Ukraine. Records from this period indicate that members of the Swersky family held significant landholdings and played an influential role in the local governance and affairs of the region.
One of the most notable individuals bearing the Swersky surname was Andrei Swersky, a military commander who lived in the late 16th century. He gained recognition for his leadership during the Livonian War, a prolonged conflict between the Tsardom of Russia and a coalition of European powers, including Poland-Lithuania, Sweden, and Denmark.
Another prominent figure was Mykola Swersky, a Ukrainian writer and philosopher who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was a advocate for Ukrainian national identity and cultural preservation, and his works played a significant role in shaping the intellectual discourse of his time.
In the 19th century, the Swersky surname can be found in various records and documents across Eastern Europe, including mentions in the Russian Empire and the Austro-Hungarian Empire. One notable individual from this period was Ivan Swersky, a Russian industrialist and philanthropist who made significant contributions to the development of education and social welfare initiatives in his hometown of St. Petersburg.
As the centuries passed, the Swersky surname continued to spread across Eastern Europe, with families bearing this name found in various regions and countries. While the name underwent slight variations in spelling, such as Sversky or Swerski, its connection to the original Slavic root word remained evident.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swersky
Among Census respondents with the surname Swersky, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Swersky 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 Swersky surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 107
- Two or more races5.2% · 6
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 1
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swersky
Swersky 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
#144,141
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+11 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 1,870 places
2020
#145,757
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 115
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 1,616 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #146,011 | 104 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #144,141 | 115 | 0.04 | +11 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 1,870 places |
| 2020 | #145,757 | 115 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 1,616 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 Swersky 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 | #144,141 | #145,757 | -1.1% |
| Count | 115 | 115 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -3.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swersky bearers went from 115 to 115 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 1,616 positions in the national ranking, going from #144,141 to #145,757.
FAQ
Swersky surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swersky?
Name Census estimates that about 132 living Americans carry the surname Swersky. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,596,624 residents.
How common is Swersky?
Swersky ranks #145,757 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 115 people with the surname Swersky. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (132), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Swersky.
Has Swersky become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swersky went from 115 recorded bearers to 115. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #144,141 to #145,757.
What does the Census say about the background of Swersky?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swersky, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.2%) and Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Swersky in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swersky appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (5.2%), Hispanic (0.9%). 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 Swersky (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 Swersky mean?
A surname derived from a Slavic root meaning "traveler" or "wanderer." 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 Swersky (0.04 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 Swersky?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.