Find out how popular the last name Swett is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Swett.

Swett, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Swett surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Swett in America

Swett is the 9603rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Swett surname appeared 3,384 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Swett.

We can also compare 2010 data for Swett to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Swett

The surname Swett is believed to have originated in England, likely derived from the Old English word "swete," meaning "sweet" or "pleasant." This name may have initially been a descriptive nickname given to someone with a sweet or agreeable personality or demeanor.

The earliest known recorded instances of the Swett surname can be traced back to the late 12th century in various parts of England, such as Yorkshire and Essex. One of the earliest documented references is found in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire from 1195, which mentions a person named Swetman.

In the 13th century, the surname appears in various spellings, including Swet, Swete, and Swett. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and the inconsistent spelling practices of the time. Some historical records from this period list people with the surname living in areas like Cambridgeshire, Suffolk, and Norfolk.

The Swett surname can also be found in the renowned Domesday Book, a comprehensive survey of landholdings in England commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086. This document includes references to places like Swetton (now Swettenham) in Cheshire and Swete (now Sweet) in Shropshire, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.

One notable figure with the Swett surname was John Swett (c. 1500 - c. 1560), an English Protestant reformer and scholar who served as a chaplain to King Edward VI and was later imprisoned during the reign of Queen Mary I for his religious beliefs.

Another individual of historical significance was Samuel Swett (1628 - 1696), an early settler in New England who served as a magistrate and deputy to the General Court of Massachusetts Bay Colony.

In the 18th century, the Swett surname can be found among early American settlers, such as Joseph Swett (1700 - 1785), a farmer and landowner in New Hampshire, and John Swett (1725 - 1807), a Revolutionary War soldier from Massachusetts.

One prominent figure from the 19th century was John Swett (1830 - 1913), an American educator and author who served as the fourth Superintendent of Public Instruction for the state of California and played a significant role in shaping the state's public education system.

Throughout history, the Swett surname has been associated with various places and locations, including the village of Swett in Gloucestershire, England, and the town of Swett, South Dakota, in the United States.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Swett

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Swett.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Swett was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Swett has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Swett was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Swett, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!