2000
#6,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,753
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.76
Rare Last name
Swindell
An English occupational surname referring to a swindler, cheat, or fraudulent trader.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,671 Americans carry the last name Swindell. That puts it at #7,810 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.36 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 73,379 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swindell 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Swindell with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.7K
1 in 73,379
Census rank
#7,810
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,073 bearers of the surname Swindell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.36 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 7810th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swindell, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swindell
The surname Swindell is of English origin, and it can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English word "swindel," which meant "dizzy" or "giddy." This word may have been used as a nickname for someone who was considered reckless or impulsive.
In the early records, the name appeared with various spellings, such as Swindell, Swindel, Swindle, and Swindill. One of the earliest documented instances of the name can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Staffordshire from 1199, where a person named Robert Swindel is mentioned.
The Swindell family is known to have been prominent in the counties of Staffordshire, Derbyshire, and Cheshire during the medieval period. The name is also associated with several place names in these regions, such as Swindell's Farm in Staffordshire and Swindell's Wood in Derbyshire.
One notable individual with the surname Swindell was John Swindell (1588-1659), an English clergyman and author who served as the rector of Waltham St. Lawrence in Berkshire. He wrote several religious works, including "A Treatise of the Immortality of the Soul" and "A Vindication of the Christian Faith."
Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Swindell (1670-1744), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Derbyshire. He served as the High Sheriff of Derbyshire in 1714 and was known for his philanthropic efforts, including the establishment of a school for poor children in the village of Wirksworth.
In the late 18th century, William Swindell (1753-1828) was a renowned mathematician and astronomer from Staffordshire. He contributed to the development of celestial mechanics and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1796.
During the Victorian era, Charles Swindell (1812-1888) was a prominent industrialist from Manchester. He founded the Swindell Brothers Engineering Company, which played a significant role in the manufacturing of textile machinery during the Industrial Revolution.
Another notable figure was Emily Swindell (1845-1922), a British writer and activist who campaigned for women's rights and education. She authored several novels and non-fiction works, including "The Modern Girl's World" and "The Emancipation of Women."
While these are just a few examples, the Swindell surname has a long and rich history in England, with many individuals making significant contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swindell
Among Census respondents with the surname Swindell, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Swindell 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 Swindell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White72.8% · 2,966
- Black or African American18.2% · 740
- Two or more races4.2% · 172
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 129
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.1% · 46
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 20
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swindell
Swindell 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
#7,229
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,618
-135 bearers (-2.8%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 655 places
2020
#7,810
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,073
-545 bearers (-11.8%)
Per 100,000 1.36
Rank movement Down 581 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,574 | 4,753 | 1.76 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #7,229 | 4,618 | 1.57 | -135 bearers (-2.8%) | Down 655 places |
| 2020 | #7,810 | 4,073 | 1.36 | -545 bearers (-11.8%) | Down 581 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 Swindell 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 | #7,229 | #7,810 | -8.0% |
| Count | 4,618 | 4,073 | -11.8% |
| Per 100K | 1.57 | 1.36 | -13.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swindell bearers went from 4,618 to 4,073 (-11.8% change). The surname moved down 581 positions in the national ranking, going from #7,229 to #7,810.
FAQ
Swindell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swindell?
Name Census estimates that about 4,671 living Americans carry the surname Swindell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 73,379 residents.
How common is Swindell?
Swindell ranks #7,810 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.36 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 4,073 people with the surname Swindell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,671), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.36 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.36 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 Swindell.
Has Swindell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swindell went from 4,618 recorded bearers to 4,073. That is a decrease of 545 (-11.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #7,229 to #7,810.
What does the Census say about the background of Swindell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swindell, the largest self-reported group is White at 72.8%. The next largest groups are Black (18.2%) and Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Swindell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 72.8% (2,966 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swindell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (72.8%), Black (18.2%), Two or More Races (4.2%). 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 Swindell (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 Swindell mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a swindler, cheat, or fraudulent trader. 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 Swindell (1.36 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 surname Swindell?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.