2000
#136,783
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 113
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Swymer
An old spelling variant of the surname derived from the Middle English "swimer", meaning a swimmer or strong mover in water.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 131 Americans carry the last name Swymer. That puts it at #146,495 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,616,445 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swymer 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
131
1 in 2,616,445
Census rank
#146,495
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
114
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 114 bearers of the surname Swymer in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 146495th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swymer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swymer
The surname SWYMER is believed to have originated in Germany during the late medieval period, likely in the 14th or 15th century. It is thought to be derived from the Old German word "swymmen," which means "to swim." This suggests that the name may have been originally used as an occupational surname for someone who worked as a swimmer or was skilled in swimming.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SWYMER surname appears in a German municipal record from the town of Augsburg, dated around 1430. The record mentions a man named Hans Swymer, who was a fisherman by trade. This provides further evidence that the name was likely associated with water-related occupations or activities.
In the 16th century, the SWYMER surname can be found in various records from the Rhineland region of Germany. For example, a document from the city of Cologne in 1562 references a merchant named Johannes Swymer. Additionally, a birth record from the town of Mainz in 1587 lists a child named Anna Swymer, daughter of a local baker.
As the name spread across Europe, it underwent several spelling variations, including Schweimer, Schweimer, and Schwimmer. In the 17th century, there are records of individuals with the name Swymer living in the Netherlands, particularly in the cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam.
One notable figure with the SWYMER surname was Johann Swymer, a German painter and engraver born in Nuremberg in 1612. He was known for his intricate engravings of landscapes and architectural scenes. Another notable individual was Maria Swymer, a German author and poet who lived in the late 18th century and published several collections of poetry and prose.
In the 19th century, the SWYMER surname began to appear in records from other parts of Europe, including England and France. One example is William Swymer, an English engineer born in 1822 who was involved in the construction of several notable bridges and railway lines.
As the name continued to spread and diversify, it also found its way to other parts of the world, including North America and Australia, through immigration and migration patterns. Some notable individuals with the SWYMER surname include:
1. Hans Swymer (c. 1400s), a fisherman from Augsburg, Germany, mentioned in a municipal record from around 1430.
2. Johannes Swymer (c. 1500s), a merchant from Cologne, Germany, mentioned in a document from 1562.
3. Johann Swymer (1612-1678), a German painter and engraver from Nuremberg.
4. Maria Swymer (c. 1700s), a German author and poet from the late 18th century.
5. William Swymer (1822-1895), an English engineer involved in bridge and railway construction in the 19th century.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swymer
Among Census respondents with the surname Swymer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Swymer 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 Swymer surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 106
- Hispanic or Latino2.6% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.6% · 3
- Two or more races1.8% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swymer
Swymer 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
#151,532
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 108
-5 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 14,749 places
2020
#146,495
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
+6 bearers (+5.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,037 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #136,783 | 113 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #151,532 | 108 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 14,749 places |
| 2020 | #146,495 | 114 | 0.04 | +6 bearers (+5.6%) | Up 5,037 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 Swymer 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 | #151,532 | #146,495 | 3.3% |
| Count | 108 | 114 | 5.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swymer bearers went from 108 to 114 (+5.6% change). The surname moved up 5,037 positions in the national ranking, going from #151,532 to #146,495.
FAQ
Swymer surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swymer?
Name Census estimates that about 131 living Americans carry the surname Swymer. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,616,445 residents.
How common is Swymer?
Swymer ranks #146,495 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 114 people with the surname Swymer. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (131), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Swymer.
Has Swymer become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swymer went from 108 recorded bearers to 114. That is an increase of 6 (+5.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #151,532 to #146,495.
What does the Census say about the background of Swymer?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swymer, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (2.6%) and Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Swymer in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swymer appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (2.6%), Asian/Pacific Islander (2.6%). 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 Swymer (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 Swymer mean?
An old spelling variant of the surname derived from the Middle English "swimer", meaning a swimmer or strong mover in water. 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 Swymer (0.04 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 have the last name Swymer?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Swymer is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.