2000
#8,245
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,697
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.37
Rare Last name
Swiger
An occupational surname referring to a sweeper or cleaner, derived from the Middle English word "swegen."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,016 Americans carry the last name Swiger. That puts it at #8,969 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.17 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 85,347 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swiger 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
4.0K
1 in 85,347
Census rank
#8,969
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,502 bearers of the surname Swiger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.17 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8969th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swiger
The surname "SWIGER" is of Germanic origin and it is believed to have first appeared in the region of modern-day Germany during the medieval period, around the 12th or 13th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old High German word "swiger", which means "father-in-law" or "brother-in-law".
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name "SWIGER" can be found in a document from the year 1286, which refers to a person named "Heinrich Swiger" from the town of Marburg, in the region of Hesse, Germany. This suggests that the name was already in use and had established itself as a surname by that time.
In the 16th century, there are records of a family named "SWIGER" living in the region of Saxony, in eastern Germany. One notable member of this family was Johannes Swiger, a scholar and theologian who was born in 1537 and died in 1599.
As the name spread across Europe, it began to appear in various spellings and variants, such as "Swigert", "Schweiger", and "Schweigert". In the 17th century, there are records of a family with the name "Swigert" living in the region of Alsace, which was at that time a part of the Holy Roman Empire, but is now located in eastern France.
One of the most famous individuals with the surname "SWIGER" was Wilhelm Swiger, a German painter and engraver who lived in the 18th century. He was born in 1720 in the city of Hamburg and is known for his intricate engravings of landscapes and architectural structures.
Another notable person with this surname was Johann Swiger, a German composer and organist who lived in the late 18th and early 19th centuries. He was born in 1782 in the town of Erfurt, in the region of Thuringia, and is remembered for his contributions to the development of church music during that period.
While the surname "SWIGER" is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history and has been carried by individuals from various walks of life over the centuries, spanning regions across Germany and other parts of Europe.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swiger
Among Census respondents with the surname Swiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Swiger 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 Swiger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.2% · 3,228
- Two or more races3.7% · 128
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 89
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 35
- Black or African American0.3% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swiger
Swiger 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
#8,727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,758
+61 bearers (+1.6%)
Per 100,000 1.27
Rank movement Down 482 places
2020
#8,969
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,502
-256 bearers (-6.8%)
Per 100,000 1.17
Rank movement Down 242 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,245 | 3,697 | 1.37 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,727 | 3,758 | 1.27 | +61 bearers (+1.6%) | Down 482 places |
| 2020 | #8,969 | 3,502 | 1.17 | -256 bearers (-6.8%) | Down 242 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 Swiger 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 | #8,727 | #8,969 | -2.8% |
| Count | 3,758 | 3,502 | -6.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.27 | 1.17 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swiger bearers went from 3,758 to 3,502 (-6.8% change). The surname moved down 242 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,727 to #8,969.
FAQ
Swiger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swiger?
Name Census estimates that about 4,016 living Americans carry the surname Swiger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 85,347 residents.
How common is Swiger?
Swiger ranks #8,969 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.17 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 3,502 people with the surname Swiger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,016), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.17 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.17 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 Swiger.
Has Swiger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swiger went from 3,758 recorded bearers to 3,502. That is a decrease of 256 (-6.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,727 to #8,969.
What does the Census say about the background of Swiger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swiger, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.7%) and Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Swiger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.2% (3,228 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swiger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.2%), Two or More Races (3.7%), Hispanic (2.5%). 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 Swiger (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 Swiger mean?
An occupational surname referring to a sweeper or cleaner, derived from the Middle English word "swegen." 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 Swiger (1.17 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 have the last name Swiger?
Want to know how many people have the last name Swiger? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.