2000
#10,657
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,755
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.02
Rare Last name
Swingle
An occupational surname for a person who made or used flails for threshing grain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,037 Americans carry the last name Swingle. That puts it at #11,385 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.89 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 112,860 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swingle 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
3.0K
1 in 112,860
Census rank
#11,385
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,648 bearers of the surname Swingle in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.89 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 11385th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swingle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swingle
The surname Swingle originates from Germany and is believed to have emerged in the 14th century. It is derived from the German word "Schwingel," which means "a large bundle of straw or hay." This suggests that the name may have been an occupational surname for someone who worked with hay or straw, such as a farmer or a thatcher.
The earliest known record of the name Swingle can be found in the town of Nuremberg, Germany, in the late 1300s. The name was initially spelled "Schwingler" or "Schwingel," but over time, it evolved into the modern spelling of "Swingle."
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Swingle was Hans Swingle, a farmer who lived in the village of Rothenburg ob der Tauber, Bavaria, in the early 15th century. Another notable bearer of the name was Johann Swingle, a merchant from Augsburg, Germany, who lived during the 16th century.
The name Swingle also appears in some historical documents from other parts of Europe. For instance, there are records of a family named Swingle residing in the Netherlands in the 17th century. It is possible that some members of this family later emigrated to other countries, such as the United States or Canada.
In terms of notable individuals with the surname Swingle, one can mention:
1. Johann Swingle (c. 1520 - 1590), a German merchant and philanthropist from Augsburg.
2. Gerhard Swingle (1679 - 1748), a Dutch painter known for his landscape and portrait works.
3. Samuel Swingle (1784 - 1867), an American farmer and politician who served in the Ohio House of Representatives.
4. Walter Tennyson Swingle (1871 - 1952), an American botanist and plant explorer known for his work on citrus fruits.
5. Robert Swingle (1925 - 2006), an American actor and director best known for his work in television and theater.
While the surname Swingle is relatively uncommon today, it has a rich history that spans several centuries and multiple countries. Its origins can be traced back to medieval Germany, where it was likely an occupational name related to the handling of hay or straw.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swingle
Among Census respondents with the surname Swingle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Swingle 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 Swingle surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 2,462
- Two or more races3.5% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino1.9% · 51
- Black or African American0.8% · 21
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swingle
Swingle 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
#11,163
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,834
+79 bearers (+2.9%)
Per 100,000 0.96
Rank movement Down 506 places
2020
#11,385
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,648
-186 bearers (-6.6%)
Per 100,000 0.89
Rank movement Down 222 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,657 | 2,755 | 1.02 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #11,163 | 2,834 | 0.96 | +79 bearers (+2.9%) | Down 506 places |
| 2020 | #11,385 | 2,648 | 0.89 | -186 bearers (-6.6%) | Down 222 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 Swingle 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 | #11,163 | #11,385 | -2.0% |
| Count | 2,834 | 2,648 | -6.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.96 | 0.89 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swingle bearers went from 2,834 to 2,648 (-6.6% change). The surname moved down 222 positions in the national ranking, going from #11,163 to #11,385.
FAQ
Swingle surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swingle?
Name Census estimates that about 3,037 living Americans carry the surname Swingle. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 112,860 residents.
How common is Swingle?
Swingle ranks #11,385 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.89 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 2,648 people with the surname Swingle. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,037), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.89 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.89 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 Swingle.
Has Swingle become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swingle went from 2,834 recorded bearers to 2,648. That is a decrease of 186 (-6.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #11,163 to #11,385.
What does the Census say about the background of Swingle?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swingle, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.5%) and Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Swingle in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (2,462 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swingle appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%), Hispanic (1.9%). 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 Swingle (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 Swingle mean?
An occupational surname for a person who made or used flails for threshing grain. 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 Swingle (0.89 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 Swingle?
See how many people have the last name Swingle on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.