2000
#6,980
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,428
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.64
Rare Last name
Swick
Derived from the Middle English word "swicke," meaning a creek, an inlet, or a shallow bay.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,953 Americans carry the last name Swick. That puts it at #7,442 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.44 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 69,201 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swick 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
5.0K
1 in 69,201
Census rank
#7,442
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,319 bearers of the surname Swick in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.44 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7442nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swick
The surname SWICK is believed to have originated in Germany, specifically in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony, during the Middle Ages. It is derived from the German word "swīg," which means "silence" or "quiet," and was likely used as a descriptive surname for someone who was known for their reserved or taciturn nature.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SWICK surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of medieval documents from Saxony, which mentions a "Henricus Swick" in the year 1312. This suggests that the name was already well-established in the region by the 14th century.
In the 15th century, records from Nuremberg, a city in Bavaria, mention a "Hans Swick," who was a prominent merchant and landowner. This indicates that the name had spread to other parts of Germany by that time.
During the 16th century, the SWICK surname began appearing in various historical records across Europe, as people migrated from their ancestral homelands. One notable example is Johannes Swick, a German cartographer and explorer who was born in Nuremberg in 1540 and traveled extensively throughout the Holy Roman Empire and the Netherlands.
As the SWICK surname spread, it underwent various spelling variations, such as Swick, Swigk, Schwigk, and Schwiek, reflecting regional dialects and phonetic adaptations. In some areas, the name may have been associated with the Old High German word "swīgan," meaning "to be silent" or "to be still."
Several notable individuals have borne the SWICK surname throughout history, including:
1. Johann Swick (1592-1657), a German composer and organist who served at the court of the Elector of Brandenburg.
2. Christoph Swick (1675-1744), a German painter and engraver known for his religious works and portraits.
3. Theodor Swick (1810-1878), a German politician and lawyer who served as a member of the Prussian National Assembly.
4. Karl Swick (1856-1925), a German-American architect who designed numerous buildings in Chicago and other cities across the Midwest.
5. Gertrude Swick (1879-1958), an American social worker and advocate for women's rights, who played a significant role in the establishment of the Girl Scouts of the USA.
While the SWICK surname may have evolved and spread across different regions, its origins can be traced back to its German roots, where it served as a descriptive surname reflecting the reserved or quiet nature of its earliest bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swick
Among Census respondents with the surname Swick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Swick 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 Swick surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.0% · 3,975
- Two or more races3.1% · 136
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 124
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.9% · 37
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 25
- Black or African American0.5% · 22
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swick
Swick 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
#7,284
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,574
+146 bearers (+3.3%)
Per 100,000 1.55
Rank movement Down 304 places
2020
#7,442
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,319
-255 bearers (-5.6%)
Per 100,000 1.44
Rank movement Down 158 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,980 | 4,428 | 1.64 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,284 | 4,574 | 1.55 | +146 bearers (+3.3%) | Down 304 places |
| 2020 | #7,442 | 4,319 | 1.44 | -255 bearers (-5.6%) | Down 158 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 Swick 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 | #7,284 | #7,442 | -2.2% |
| Count | 4,574 | 4,319 | -5.6% |
| Per 100K | 1.55 | 1.44 | -6.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swick bearers went from 4,574 to 4,319 (-5.6% change). The surname moved down 158 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,284 to #7,442.
FAQ
Swick surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swick?
Name Census estimates that about 4,953 living Americans carry the surname Swick. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 69,201 residents.
How common is Swick?
Swick ranks #7,442 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.44 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 4,319 people with the surname Swick. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,953), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.44 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.44 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 Swick.
Has Swick become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swick went from 4,574 recorded bearers to 4,319. That is a decrease of 255 (-5.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,284 to #7,442.
What does the Census say about the background of Swick?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swick, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.1%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Swick in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.0% (3,975 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swick appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.0%), Two or More Races (3.1%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Swick (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 Swick mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "swicke," meaning a creek, an inlet, or a shallow bay. 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 Swick (1.44 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 Swick?
If you just want to know how many people have the last name Swick, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.