2000
#1,372
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,685
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.78
Uncommon Last name
Swift
An English occupational surname referring to a swift or quick person, possibly a messenger or courier.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,152 Americans carry the last name Swift. That puts it at #1,468 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 7.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,624 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swift 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Swift with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
27K
1 in 12,624
Census rank
#1,468
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
7.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 23,678 bearers of the surname Swift in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 7.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1468th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swift, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swift
The surname Swift is of Anglo-Saxon origin, deriving from the Old English word "swift" which means "moving quickly". It is believed to have originated in England during the Anglo-Saxon period, between the 5th and 11th centuries AD.
The name was initially used as a nickname or descriptive name for someone who was regarded as being particularly swift or agile. It may have been applied to a swift runner or messenger, or someone with a quick mind or movement. Over time, the nickname became hereditary and passed down as a surname.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Swift can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it is listed as "Suift". This document, commissioned by William the Conqueror, was a detailed survey of land ownership in England, and it provides valuable insight into the distribution of surnames during that period.
In the 13th century, the name is recorded in various spelling variations, such as Swyft, Swifft, and Swifte. These variations were common due to the lack of standardized spelling rules and the influence of regional dialects.
Notable individuals who bore the surname Swift include the famous English satirist and author Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), best known for his works "Gulliver's Travels" and "A Modest Proposal". Another prominent figure was Sir Josiah Swift (1667-1745), an English lawyer and politician who served as Lord Chancellor of Ireland.
Other historical figures with the surname Swift include:
- Ebenezer Swift (1666-1732), an American-born English bishop and missionary
- Benjamin Swift (1781-1875), an American naval officer during the War of 1812
- John Swift (1630-1679), an English churchman and religious writer
- Thomas Swift (1661-1752), an English clergyman and author
The surname Swift has also been associated with various place names throughout England, including Swift's Green in Suffolk, Swift's Vale in Gloucestershire, and Swift's Brook in Cambridgeshire. These place names likely originated from individuals with the surname Swift who lived or owned land in those areas.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swift
Among Census respondents with the surname Swift, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Swift 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 Swift surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White75.4% · 17,858
- Black or African American15.2% · 3,601
- Two or more races4.0% · 947
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 835
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 258
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 179
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swift
Swift 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
#1,473
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,249
+564 bearers (+2.4%)
Per 100,000 8.22
Rank movement Down 101 places
2020
#1,468
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 23,678
-571 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 7.92
Rank movement Up 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,372 | 23,685 | 8.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,473 | 24,249 | 8.22 | +564 bearers (+2.4%) | Down 101 places |
| 2020 | #1,468 | 23,678 | 7.92 | -571 bearers (-2.4%) | Up 5 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 Swift 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 | #1,473 | #1,468 | 0.3% |
| Count | 24,249 | 23,678 | -2.4% |
| Per 100K | 8.22 | 7.92 | -3.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swift bearers went from 24,249 to 23,678 (-2.4% change). The surname moved up 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,473 to #1,468.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Swift
FAQ
Swift surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swift?
Name Census estimates that about 27,152 living Americans carry the surname Swift. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,624 residents.
How common is Swift?
Swift ranks #1,468 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 7.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 23,678 people with the surname Swift. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,152), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 7.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 7.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Swift.
Has Swift become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swift went from 24,249 recorded bearers to 23,678. That is a decrease of 571 (-2.4%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,473 to #1,468.
What does the Census say about the background of Swift?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swift, the largest self-reported group is White at 75.4%. The next largest groups are Black (15.2%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Swift in the 2020 Census, accounting for 75.4% (17,858 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swift appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (75.4%), Black (15.2%), Two or More Races (4.0%). 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 Swift (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 Swift mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a swift or quick person, possibly a messenger or courier. 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 Swift (7.92 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 Swift?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Swift at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.