2000
#10,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,720
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.01
Rare Last name
Swinehart
An occupational surname for a swineherd or pig farmer, derived from the Middle English words "swine" and "herde."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,829 Americans carry the last name Swinehart. That puts it at #12,070 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 121,157 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swinehart 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
2.8K
1 in 121,157
Census rank
#12,070
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,467 bearers of the surname Swinehart in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12070th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swinehart, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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In the 16th century, the name SWINEHART appears in several historical documents from the German states.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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swinehart
Among Census respondents with the surname Swinehart, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Swinehart 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 Swinehart surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White92.8% · 2,289
- Two or more races2.9% · 71
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 61
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.9% · 23
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 13
- Black or African American0.4% · 10
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swinehart
Swinehart 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
#11,890
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,633
-87 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 1,125 places
2020
#12,070
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,467
-166 bearers (-6.3%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 180 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,765 | 2,720 | 1.01 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,890 | 2,633 | 0.89 | -87 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 1,125 places |
| 2020 | #12,070 | 2,467 | 0.83 | -166 bearers (-6.3%) | Down 180 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 Swinehart 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 | #11,890 | #12,070 | -1.5% |
| Count | 2,633 | 2,467 | -6.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.89 | 0.83 | -7.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swinehart bearers went from 2,633 to 2,467 (-6.3% change). The surname moved down 180 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,890 to #12,070.
FAQ
Swinehart surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swinehart?
Name Census estimates that about 2,829 living Americans carry the surname Swinehart. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 121,157 residents.
How common is Swinehart?
Swinehart ranks #12,070 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,467 people with the surname Swinehart. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,829), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Swinehart.
Has Swinehart become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swinehart went from 2,633 recorded bearers to 2,467. That is a decrease of 166 (-6.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,890 to #12,070.
What does the Census say about the background of Swinehart?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swinehart, the largest self-reported group is White at 92.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) 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 Swinehart in the 2020 Census, accounting for 92.8% (2,289 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swinehart appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (92.8%), Two or More Races (2.9%), 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 Swinehart (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 Swinehart mean?
An occupational surname for a swineherd or pig farmer, derived from the Middle English words "swine" and "herde." 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 Swinehart (0.83 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 are called Swinehart?
If you just want to know how common the surname Swinehart is, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.