2000
#9,215
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,255
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.21
Rare Last name
Swett
Derived from the Old English word "swete," meaning sweet or pleasant, likely referring to a person's character or disposition.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,314 Americans carry the last name Swett. That puts it at #10,583 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.97 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 103,426 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swett 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
3.3K
1 in 103,426
Census rank
#10,583
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.9K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,890 bearers of the surname Swett in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.97 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10583rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swett
Among Census respondents with the surname Swett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Swett 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 Swett surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 2,525
- Two or more races3.5% · 100
- Black or African American3.1% · 91
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 90
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.2% · 65
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 19
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swett
Swett 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
#9,603
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,384
+129 bearers (+4.0%)
Per 100,000 1.15
Rank movement Down 388 places
2020
#10,583
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,890
-494 bearers (-14.6%)
Per 100,000 0.97
Rank movement Down 980 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #9,215 | 3,255 | 1.21 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #9,603 | 3,384 | 1.15 | +129 bearers (+4.0%) | Down 388 places |
| 2020 | #10,583 | 2,890 | 0.97 | -494 bearers (-14.6%) | Down 980 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 Swett 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 | #9,603 | #10,583 | -10.2% |
| Count | 3,384 | 2,890 | -14.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.15 | 0.97 | -15.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swett bearers went from 3,384 to 2,890 (-14.6% change). The surname moved down 980 positions in the national ranking, going from #9,603 to #10,583.
FAQ
Swett surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swett?
Name Census estimates that about 3,314 living Americans carry the surname Swett. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 103,426 residents.
How common is Swett?
Swett ranks #10,583 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.97 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 2,890 people with the surname Swett. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,314), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.97 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.97 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 Swett.
Has Swett become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swett went from 3,384 recorded bearers to 2,890. That is a decrease of 494 (-14.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #9,603 to #10,583.
What does the Census say about the background of Swett?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swett, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Black (3.1%). 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 Swett in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (2,525 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swett appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Black (3.1%). 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 Swett (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 Swett mean?
Derived from the Old English word "swete," meaning sweet or pleasant, likely referring to a person's character or disposition. 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 Swett (0.97 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 common is the surname Swett?
Find out how many people have the surname Swett on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.