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

Swinehart, 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 Swinehart surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Swinehart in America

Swinehart is the 11890th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Swinehart surname appeared 2,633 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Swinehart.

We can also compare 2010 data for Swinehart 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 Swinehart

The surname SWINEHART has its origins in the German language, and it is believed to have emerged in the late medieval period, around the 14th or 15th century. The name is thought to be derived from the German words "Schwein" (meaning "swine" or "pig") and "Herz" (meaning "heart"), potentially referring to a person who had a strong affinity for pigs or worked as a pig farmer.

The earliest known records of the SWINEHART surname can be traced back to the region of Bavaria in southern Germany. It is likely that the name first appeared in local parish records or tax rolls from that area. Over time, variations in spelling emerged, such as SCHWEINHERZ, SCHWEINHART, and SCHWEINHARTZ, reflecting regional dialects and scribal preferences.

One of the earliest documented individuals with the SWINEHART surname was Hans Schweinhart, a farmer who lived in the village of Wildenroth, Bavaria, in the late 15th century. Records from 1493 indicate that he owned a substantial plot of land and a sizable herd of pigs.

In the 16th century, the name SWINEHART appears in several historical documents from the German states. Notably, a merchant named Johann Schweinhart is mentioned in the records of the Free Imperial City of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in 1532, indicating the family's involvement in trade and commerce.

As the centuries passed, the SWINEHART surname spread to other parts of Europe and the Americas through migration and immigration. In the 18th century, Johannes Schweinhart, a Bavarian farmer born in 1712, is recorded as one of the earliest SWINEHART settlers in the British colonies of North America, arriving in Pennsylvania in 1738.

Another notable bearer of the SWINEHART surname was Friedrich Schweinhart, a German philosopher and educator born in 1775 in Saxony. He was a proponent of the Enlightenment ideals and established several progressive schools that emphasized child-centered learning and moral education.

In the 19th century, the SWINEHART name gained prominence in the United States, with several individuals making significant contributions. Henry Swinehart (1818-1890), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War, was recognized for his bravery and leadership at the Battle of Gettysburg. Additionally, William Swinehart (1835-1912), a prominent businessman and philanthropist from Ohio, founded the Swinehart Foundation, which supported educational initiatives in his home state.

While the origins of the SWINEHART surname can be traced back to medieval Germany, its bearers have left their mark on various aspects of history, from agriculture and trade to education and military service, across multiple continents and centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Swinehart

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

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

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

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