2000
#10,025
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,966
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.10
Rare Last name
Swint
An English occupational surname for a swineherd or pig farmer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,469 Americans carry the last name Swint. That puts it at #10,153 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.01 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 98,805 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swint 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
3.5K
1 in 98,805
Census rank
#10,153
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.0K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,025 bearers of the surname Swint in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.01 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10153rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swint, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.7%. The next largest groups are Black (42.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swint
The surname "SWINT" is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be derived from the Old English word "swinn," which meant "strong" or "vigorous." This suggests that the name may have initially been given as a nickname to someone who was particularly physically robust or hardworking.
The earliest recorded instances of the surname date back to the late 12th century, with references to individuals named Swint or Swynt appearing in various legal documents and parish records from counties such as Yorkshire and Lincolnshire. It is possible that the name was also influenced by the Old Norse word "svintr," which had a similar meaning.
In the Domesday Book, a great survey of land and property commissioned by William the Conqueror in 1086, there are no direct mentions of the surname Swint. However, the book does record several place names that may have contributed to the development of the surname, such as Swinton in Yorkshire and Swineshead in Lincolnshire.
One of the earliest known individuals with the surname was John Swint, a landowner and farmer who lived in the village of Swinton, Yorkshire, in the late 13th century. Another notable figure was William Swint, a merchant and alderman in the city of Lincoln, who was recorded as being active in the early 15th century.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Swint began to spread beyond its initial strongholds in northern England. In 1583, a certain Thomas Swint was listed as a resident of the town of Stratford-upon-Avon, the birthplace of William Shakespeare. Additionally, records from the parish of St. Giles in London mention a family named Swint living in the area in the 1640s.
One of the most prominent individuals with the surname was Sir John Swint (1620-1689), a wealthy landowner and Member of Parliament who represented the county of Gloucestershire in the latter half of the 17th century. Another notable figure was Mary Swint (1678-1752), a renowned botanist and naturalist who published several influential works on the flora of the British Isles.
By the 18th and 19th centuries, the Swint surname had become well-established throughout various regions of England, with families bearing the name residing in counties such as Yorkshire, Lincolnshire, Gloucestershire, and London, among others. While the name remained relatively uncommon compared to some other English surnames, it continued to be passed down through generations and carried on the legacy of its medieval origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swint
Among Census respondents with the surname Swint, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.7%. The next largest groups are Black (42.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Swint 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 Swint surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White49.7% · 1,503
- Black or African American42.0% · 1,271
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 122
- Two or more races3.6% · 109
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 12
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 8
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swint
Swint 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
#10,199
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,159
+193 bearers (+6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.07
Rank movement Down 174 places
2020
#10,153
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,025
-134 bearers (-4.2%)
Per 100,000 1.01
Rank movement Up 46 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #10,025 | 2,966 | 1.10 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,199 | 3,159 | 1.07 | +193 bearers (+6.5%) | Down 174 places |
| 2020 | #10,153 | 3,025 | 1.01 | -134 bearers (-4.2%) | Up 46 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 Swint 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 | #10,199 | #10,153 | 0.5% |
| Count | 3,159 | 3,025 | -4.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.07 | 1.01 | -5.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swint bearers went from 3,159 to 3,025 (-4.2% change). The surname moved up 46 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,199 to #10,153.
FAQ
Swint surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swint?
Name Census estimates that about 3,469 living Americans carry the surname Swint. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 98,805 residents.
How common is Swint?
Swint ranks #10,153 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.01 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 3,025 people with the surname Swint. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,469), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.01 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.01 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 Swint.
Has Swint become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swint went from 3,159 recorded bearers to 3,025. That is a decrease of 134 (-4.2%). In the national ranking it rose from #10,199 to #10,153.
What does the Census say about the background of Swint?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swint, the largest self-reported group is White at 49.7%. The next largest groups are Black (42.0%) and Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Swint in the 2020 Census, accounting for 49.7% (1,503 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swint appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (49.7%), Black (42.0%), Hispanic (4.0%). 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 Swint (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 Swint mean?
An English occupational surname for a swineherd or pig farmer. 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 Swint (1.01 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 Swint?
Find out how many Americans have the surname Swint on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.