2000
#13,881
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,996
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.74
Rare Last name
Swigart
An Anglicized form of a German surname derived from a nickname meaning "wiry" or "nimble."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,054 Americans carry the last name Swigart. That puts it at #15,699 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.60 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 166,872 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swigart 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
2.1K
1 in 166,872
Census rank
#15,699
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,791 bearers of the surname Swigart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.60 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 15699th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swigart, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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One of the earliest recorded mentions of the name can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of historical documents from the 13th century.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swigart
Among Census respondents with the surname Swigart, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Swigart 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 Swigart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.2% · 1,634
- Two or more races3.9% · 69
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 52
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 14
- Black or African American0.4% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swigart
Swigart 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
#15,418
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,900
-96 bearers (-4.8%)
Per 100,000 0.64
Rank movement Down 1,537 places
2020
#15,699
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,791
-109 bearers (-5.7%)
Per 100,000 0.60
Rank movement Down 281 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #13,881 | 1,996 | 0.74 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #15,418 | 1,900 | 0.64 | -96 bearers (-4.8%) | Down 1,537 places |
| 2020 | #15,699 | 1,791 | 0.60 | -109 bearers (-5.7%) | Down 281 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 Swigart 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 | #15,418 | #15,699 | -1.8% |
| Count | 1,900 | 1,791 | -5.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.64 | 0.60 | -6.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swigart bearers went from 1,900 to 1,791 (-5.7% change). The surname moved down 281 positions in the national ranking, going from #15,418 to #15,699.
FAQ
Swigart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swigart?
Name Census estimates that about 2,054 living Americans carry the surname Swigart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 166,872 residents.
How common is Swigart?
Swigart ranks #15,699 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.60 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 1,791 people with the surname Swigart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,054), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.6 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.60 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 Swigart.
Has Swigart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swigart went from 1,900 recorded bearers to 1,791. That is a decrease of 109 (-5.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #15,418 to #15,699.
What does the Census say about the background of Swigart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swigart, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.9%) 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 Swigart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.2% (1,634 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swigart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.2%), Two or More Races (3.9%), 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 Swigart (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 Swigart mean?
An Anglicized form of a German surname derived from a nickname meaning "wiry" or "nimble." 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 Swigart (0.60 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 many people are called Swigart?
See how many people have the last name Swigart on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.