Explore the Family Name Shwe

The meaning of Shwe

Burmese: from a personal name usually forming part of a compound name, from shwe ‘gold(en)’. Compare Swe. — Note: Since Burmese do not have hereditary surnames, this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.

Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.

How common is the last name Shwe in the United States?

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the surname Shwe has seen a significant increase in popularity over the past decade. In 2000, it was ranked at 130,443, but by 2010, it had risen to 53,913 in rank, marking a remarkable 58.67 percent change. The count of individuals with this surname also increased from 120 in 2000 to 383 in 2010, a growth rate of 219.17 percent. Its proportion per 100,000 people similarly jumped from 0.04 in 2000 to 0.13 in 2010, a surge of 225 percent.

	2000	2010	Change
Rank	#130,443	#53,913	58.67%
Count	120	383	219.17%
Proportion per 100k	0.04	0.13	225%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Shwe

When considering the ethnicity associated with the surname Shwe, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that most bearers identify as Asian/Pacific Islander. In 2000, 87.5 percent identified as such, and this figure rose to 96.34 percent by 2010, representing a 10.1 percent increase. Those identifying as having two or more ethnicities decreased from 5.83 percent in 2000 to 2.09 percent in 2010. The percentage of Shwe bearers identifying as White significantly dropped from 5 percent in 2000 to 1.31 percent in 2010. There were no recorded instances of individuals with the Shwe surname identifying as Hispanic, Black, or American Indian and Alaskan Native for both census years.

	2000	2010	Change
Asian/Pacific Islander	87.5%	96.34%	10.1%
Two or More Races	5.83%	2.09%	-64.15%
White	5%	1.31%	-73.8%
Hispanic	0%	0%	0%
Black	0%	0%	0%
American Indian and Alaskan Native	0%	0%	0%