2000
#11,924
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,405
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.89
Rare Last name
Swihart
A German occupational surname referring to a swineherd or pig farmer, derived from the Middle High German "swin" meaning "swine" or "pig."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,626 Americans carry the last name Swihart. That puts it at #12,843 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.77 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 130,523 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swihart 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
2.6K
1 in 130,523
Census rank
#12,843
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.3K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,290 bearers of the surname Swihart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.77 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12843rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swihart, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swihart
The surname Swihart is of German origin, with roots dating back to the 16th century. It is believed to have originated in the region of Rhineland-Palatinate, where it was derived from the Old German words "swi," meaning pig, and "hart," meaning hardy or robust. Thus, the name Swihart likely referred to someone who was involved in the pig farming or livestock industry.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Swihart name can be found in the town of Kirchheimbolanden, where a man named Hans Swihart was listed in the local parish records in 1583. The name also appeared in various other villages and towns across the region, with variations in spelling such as Schweinhart, Schweinehart, and Schweinhardt.
During the 17th and 18th centuries, many Swihart families immigrated to America, seeking new opportunities and religious freedom. One of the earliest settlers bearing this name was Johann Swihart, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1738. He later settled in Lancaster County, Pennsylvania, where he and his descendants established a thriving farming community.
Another notable figure with the Swihart surname was Jacob Swihart (1755-1832), a Revolutionary War soldier from Pennsylvania. He served in the Continental Army and fought in several key battles, including the Battle of Brandywine and the Battle of Germantown.
In the 19th century, the Swihart name continued to spread across the United States. William Swihart (1821-1892) was a prominent businessman and landowner in Elkhart County, Indiana, where the town of Swihart was named after him.
Other notable individuals with the Swihart surname include:
1. John Swihart (1829-1906), a Union soldier during the American Civil War and later a member of the Indiana House of Representatives.
2. Jacob Swihart (1856-1933), an early pioneer and settler in Elk County, Kansas, where he established a successful farming operation.
3. Silas Swihart (1879-1953), a professional baseball player who played in the minor leagues during the early 20th century.
4. Charles Swihart (1885-1967), a renowned architect who designed several notable buildings in the Art Deco style in Los Angeles, California.
5. Marjorie Swihart (1914-2003), an American author and historian who wrote extensively about the history and culture of the Appalachian region.
Overall, the surname Swihart has a rich heritage that can be traced back to its German roots, with a long history of individuals who have contributed to various aspects of American society, from farming and military service to architecture and literature.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swihart
Among Census respondents with the surname Swihart, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Swihart 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 Swihart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.8% · 2,149
- Two or more races3.2% · 73
- Hispanic or Latino1.4% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 16
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 14
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swihart
Swihart 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
#12,807
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,408
+3 bearers (+0.1%)
Per 100,000 0.82
Rank movement Down 883 places
2020
#12,843
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,290
-118 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.77
Rank movement Down 36 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #11,924 | 2,405 | 0.89 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,807 | 2,408 | 0.82 | +3 bearers (+0.1%) | Down 883 places |
| 2020 | #12,843 | 2,290 | 0.77 | -118 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 36 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 Swihart 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 | #12,807 | #12,843 | -0.3% |
| Count | 2,408 | 2,290 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.82 | 0.77 | -6.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swihart bearers went from 2,408 to 2,290 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 36 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,807 to #12,843.
FAQ
Swihart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swihart?
Name Census estimates that about 2,626 living Americans carry the surname Swihart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 130,523 residents.
How common is Swihart?
Swihart ranks #12,843 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.77 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 2,290 people with the surname Swihart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,626), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.77 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.77 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 Swihart.
Has Swihart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swihart went from 2,408 recorded bearers to 2,290. That is a decrease of 118 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,807 to #12,843.
What does the Census say about the background of Swihart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swihart, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.2%) and Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Swihart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.8% (2,149 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swihart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.8%), Two or More Races (3.2%), Hispanic (1.4%). 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 Swihart (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 Swihart mean?
A German occupational surname referring to a swineherd or pig farmer, derived from the Middle High German "swin" meaning "swine" or "pig." 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 Swihart (0.77 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 share the surname Swihart?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.