2000
#12,175
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,346
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.87
Rare Last name
Swiney
Derived from the Irish surname "Mac Suibhne" meaning "descendant of Suibhne," a Gaelic personal name meaning "pleasant" or "well-disposed."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,548 Americans carry the last name Swiney. That puts it at #13,182 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.74 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 134,519 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swiney 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 Swiney with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.5K
1 in 134,519
Census rank
#13,182
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,222 bearers of the surname Swiney in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.74 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13182nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swiney, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.9%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swiney
The surname SWINEY is an English name with origins in the county of Lincolnshire. It is believed to have derived from the Old English word "swīn," meaning "swine" or "pig," suggesting that the earliest bearers were likely involved in the rearing or trading of pigs.
The name first appeared in records during the late 12th century, with the earliest known reference being to a Richard Swyne in the Pipe Rolls of Lincolnshire in 1195. By the 13th century, the surname had spread to other parts of England, with variations in spelling such as Swyne, Swynne, and Swynney appearing in various medieval documents.
In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a Thomas Swyne is recorded as holding lands in the village of Swineshead, which may have contributed to the development of the surname. The village name itself is derived from the Old English words "swīn" and "hēafod," meaning "swine's head," further reinforcing the connection between the surname and its pig-related origins.
One notable bearer of the name was John Swiney, a 16th-century English theologian and author who served as the Dean of Bristol from 1535 until his death in 1554. Another was Sir Robert Swiney, a prominent merchant and politician in the 17th century, who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1652.
The surname also found its way to Ireland, where it was often anglicized from the Irish Gaelic name "Mac Suibhne." One of the earliest recorded Irish bearers was Domhnall Mac Suibhne, a chieftain of the Cenél Conaill dynasty in the 13th century.
In the 18th century, Richard Swiney, born in 1733, was a British naval officer who achieved the rank of Admiral and served with distinction during the American Revolutionary War. Another notable bearer was Sir Ernest Swiney, born in 1856, a British colonial administrator who served as Governor of the Bahamas from 1904 to 1913.
Throughout its history, the SWINEY surname has been associated with various professions, from farming and animal husbandry to religious, political, and military roles. While its origins may have been humble, the name has transcended its early associations and become a part of the rich tapestry of English and Irish history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swiney
Among Census respondents with the surname Swiney, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.9%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Swiney 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 Swiney surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White74.9% · 1,665
- Black or African American16.4% · 365
- Two or more races5.2% · 115
- Hispanic or Latino2.8% · 63
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 10
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swiney
Swiney 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
#12,978
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,366
+20 bearers (+0.9%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 803 places
2020
#13,182
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,222
-144 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 0.74
Rank movement Down 204 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,175 | 2,346 | 0.87 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,978 | 2,366 | 0.80 | +20 bearers (+0.9%) | Down 803 places |
| 2020 | #13,182 | 2,222 | 0.74 | -144 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 204 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 Swiney 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 | #12,978 | #13,182 | -1.6% |
| Count | 2,366 | 2,222 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.74 | -7.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swiney bearers went from 2,366 to 2,222 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 204 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,978 to #13,182.
FAQ
Swiney surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swiney?
Name Census estimates that about 2,548 living Americans carry the surname Swiney. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 134,519 residents.
How common is Swiney?
Swiney ranks #13,182 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.74 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 2,222 people with the surname Swiney. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,548), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.74 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.74 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 Swiney.
Has Swiney become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swiney went from 2,366 recorded bearers to 2,222. That is a decrease of 144 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,978 to #13,182.
What does the Census say about the background of Swiney?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swiney, the largest self-reported group is White at 74.9%. The next largest groups are Black (16.4%) and Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Swiney in the 2020 Census, accounting for 74.9% (1,665 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swiney appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (74.9%), Black (16.4%), Two or More Races (5.2%). 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 Swiney (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 Swiney mean?
Derived from the Irish surname "Mac Suibhne" meaning "descendant of Suibhne," a Gaelic personal name meaning "pleasant" or "well-disposed." 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 Swiney (0.74 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 common is the surname Swiney?
Want to know how many people have the last name Swiney? HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, puts the living-bearer count front and centre.