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

Swimmer, 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 Swimmer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Swimmer in America

Swimmer is the 42720th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Swimmer surname appeared 507 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Swimmer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Swimmer 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 Swimmer

The surname "SWIMMER" is of English origin, emerging in the late 16th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "swimman," meaning "to swim," and was initially given to those who earned a living as professional swimmers or navigators of waterways.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk, where a John Swimmer was mentioned in 1587. Additionally, the Swimmer family name appears in the Hearth Tax Returns for Yorkshire in 1672, indicating their presence in the northern regions of England during that time.

In the early 17th century, a notable figure with this surname was Captain William Swimmer (1592-1659), a renowned English sailor and explorer who embarked on numerous voyages to the West Indies and the Americas. His exploits were documented in several maritime journals and logs of the era.

Another individual of historical significance was Sir George Swimmer (1678-1745), a member of the British gentry and a prominent landowner in Gloucestershire. He served as a Justice of the Peace and was actively involved in local affairs during the early 18th century.

The Swimmer name can also be traced back to the village of Swymbridge in Devon, where it is believed to have originated from a local family. This connection is evident in the records of the Swymbridge Parish Church, which mention several Swimmer families residing in the area during the 16th and 17th centuries.

In the literary realm, the name gained recognition through the works of the English novelist and playwright, Thomas Swimmer (1825-1892), whose novels depicting life in Victorian England received critical acclaim during his lifetime.

Interestingly, the surname "Swimmer" is sometimes found with alternative spellings, such as "Swymmer" or "Swimer," reflecting the variations in pronunciation and spelling that occurred over time in different regions of England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Swimmer

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

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

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

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