2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Swertfager
A surname referring to one with a bright or rosy complexion.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 117 Americans carry the last name Swertfager. That puts it at #154,755 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,929,524 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swertfager 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
117
1 in 2,929,524
Census rank
#154,755
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
102
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 102 bearers of the surname Swertfager in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 154755th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swertfager, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swertfager
The surname Swertfager is of German origin, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the southern regions of Germany, particularly in the areas around Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg. The name is derived from the Middle High German words "swert" meaning sword and "fager" meaning polisher or cleaner, suggesting that the earliest bearers of this name were likely employed as sword polishers or sword makers.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Swertfager name can be found in the village records of Kirchheim unter Teck, a town in the Stuttgart region of Baden-Württemberg, where a certain Hans Swertfager is mentioned as a resident in the year 1587. Another early reference to the name appears in the records of the town of Winnenden, also located in Baden-Württemberg, where a Johannes Swertfager is listed as a landowner in 1612.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, the Swertfager surname began to spread beyond the borders of southern Germany, with individuals bearing this name appearing in various historical records across central and northern Europe. For instance, a Peter Swertfager is recorded as a merchant in the city of Hamburg in 1694, while a Johann Swertfager is mentioned as a resident of the town of Erfurt in Thuringia in 1721.
One notable bearer of the Swertfager name was Wilhelm Swertfager (1763-1832), a German sculptor and woodcarver who gained renown for his intricate altarpieces and religious statues, many of which can still be found in churches throughout Bavaria and the Swabian region of Germany. Another individual of note was Friedrich Swertfager (1817-1896), a German theologian and philosopher who served as a professor at the University of Tübingen and authored several influential works on Christian ethics and metaphysics.
The Swertfager surname also found its way to other parts of Europe and beyond, as evidenced by the existence of individuals such as Jan Swertfager (1745-1807), a Dutch merchant and ship owner based in Amsterdam, and Hans Swertfager (1801-1879), a Swiss watchmaker and inventor who patented several improvements to the timepiece mechanisms of his day.
While the Swertfager name remains relatively uncommon, it has persisted through the centuries, with bearers of this surname continuing to make their mark in various fields and professions across the globe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swertfager
Among Census respondents with the surname Swertfager, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Swertfager 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 Swertfager surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.1% · 97
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
- Two or more races1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swertfager
Swertfager 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
#154,907
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 9,999 places
2020
#154,755
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 102
-3 bearers (-2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Up 152 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #154,907 | 105 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 9,999 places |
| 2020 | #154,755 | 102 | 0.03 | -3 bearers (-2.9%) | Up 152 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 Swertfager 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 | #154,907 | #154,755 | 0.1% |
| Count | 105 | 102 | -2.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -14.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swertfager bearers went from 105 to 102 (-2.9% change). The surname moved up 152 positions in the national ranking, going from #154,907 to #154,755.
FAQ
Swertfager surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swertfager?
Name Census estimates that about 117 living Americans carry the surname Swertfager. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,929,524 residents.
How common is Swertfager?
Swertfager ranks #154,755 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 102 people with the surname Swertfager. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (117), 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 Swertfager.
Has Swertfager become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swertfager went from 105 recorded bearers to 102. That is a decrease of 3 (-2.9%). In the national ranking it rose from #154,907 to #154,755.
What does the Census say about the background of Swertfager?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swertfager, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%) and Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Swertfager in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.1% (97 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swertfager appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.9%), Hispanic (1.0%). 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 Swertfager (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 Swertfager mean?
A surname referring to one with a bright or rosy complexion. 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 Swertfager (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 Swertfager?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.