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

Switzer, 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 Switzer surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Switzer in America

Switzer is the 3248th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Switzer surname appeared 11,114 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 4 people would have the surname Switzer.

We can also compare 2010 data for Switzer 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 Switzer

The surname Switzer originated in Switzerland during the late Middle Ages. It derives from the French word "Suisse", meaning "Swiss", and was likely initially used as a descriptive name for someone who hailed from Switzerland or the surrounding Swiss regions.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Hans Switzer, a merchant from Zurich who was recorded in historical documents dating back to the early 15th century. The name also appears in various medieval records from other Swiss cantons, such as Bern and Lucerne.

As people began migrating from Switzerland to other parts of Europe and beyond, the surname Switzer traveled with them. In England, the name can be traced back to the late 16th century, when Swiss mercenaries and artisans began settling in various cities and towns.

One notable early bearer of the name in England was John Switzer, a renowned landscape gardener and writer who lived from 1637 to 1718. His work, "Ichnographia Rustica", published in 1718, was an influential treatise on garden design and horticulture.

Another prominent figure was Samuel Switzer, a poet and dramatist born in 1675. He is best known for his play "The Faithful Husband", which was performed at the Theatre Royal in London in 1704.

In the United States, the Switzer name can be traced back to the 18th century, when Swiss immigrants began arriving in significant numbers. One of the earliest recorded instances is that of Johann Switzer, who settled in Pennsylvania in the 1730s.

During the 19th century, the surname Switzer was well-represented among Swiss immigrants who settled in various parts of the country. Notable bearers of the name include Jacob Switzer, a pioneer farmer in Ohio who was born in 1792, and John Switzer, a prominent lawyer and politician in Missouri, born in 1823.

Throughout its history, the surname Switzer has been associated with various spellings and variations, such as Schweitzer, Schwitzer, and Switzler, reflecting the linguistic diversity of the regions where it was found.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Switzer

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

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

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

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