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

Swigart, 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 Swigart surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Swigart in America

Swigart is the 15418th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Swigart surname appeared 1,900 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 Swigart.

We can also compare 2010 data for Swigart 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 Swigart

The surname Swigart is of German origin, with roots that can be traced back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have originated in the region of Bavaria, where it was initially spelled as "Schweighardt" or "Schweighart." These early spellings are derived from the Old German words "schweigen," meaning "to be silent," and "hart," meaning "brave" or "hardy."

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 13th century. In this manuscript, a man named Henricus Schweighardt is listed as a landowner in the town of Amberg, located in the Upper Palatinate region of Bavaria.

Throughout the centuries, the name underwent various spelling variations, such as Schweigert, Schweigard, and Swigart. These changes were often influenced by regional dialects and the preferences of local scribes who recorded the name in official documents.

In the 16th century, the Swigart family spread from Bavaria to other parts of Germany, as well as neighboring countries like Switzerland and Austria. Notable individuals bearing this surname during this period include Johann Swigart (1532-1598), a renowned clockmaker from Nuremberg, and Matthias Swigart (1570-1638), a respected theologian and author from Augsburg.

As the name continued to evolve, it eventually found its way to other parts of Europe and even across the Atlantic Ocean. One of the earliest recorded instances of the Swigart name in America dates back to 1742 when Hans Swigart, a German immigrant, settled in Pennsylvania.

Another notable figure was William Swigart (1818-1892), an American politician and lawyer who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Pennsylvania during the mid-19th century.

In the realm of literature, John Swigart (1900-1976), an American author and poet, gained recognition for his works that explored themes of nature and rural life.

The Swigart surname has also been associated with several place names throughout history. For example, Swigartown was a small village in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, named after one of the early Swigart settlers in the region.

While the exact origins of the Swigart name may be shrouded in the mists of time, its rich history and evolution across various cultures and regions serve as a testament to the enduring legacy of this German surname.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Swigart

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

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 Swigart 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 Swigart 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 Swigart was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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