Explore the Family Name Swainson
The meaning of Swainson
1. English (northern): patronymic from the Middle English personal name Swain (Old Norse Sveinn; see Swain) + -son. Compare Swanson. 2. English (northern): patronymic from Middle English swein ‘servant, attendant; boy, young man’ (Old Norse sveinn) + -son. 3. Americanized form of Swedish Svensson or of its cognate Sveinsson.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Swainson in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname "Swainson" has seen a slight decrease in rank between 2000 and 2010 moving from 85,297 to 86,645, a change of -1.58%. However, the number of people carrying this surname slightly increased during the same period with a growth of 5.39%, tallying up to 215 people in 2010 compared to 204 in 2000. The proportion per 100k of the population dropped by 12.5%, indicating that despite the count increase, it became relatively less common due to population growth.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #85,297 | #86,645 | -1.58% |
| Count | 204 | 215 | 5.39% |
| Proportion per 100k | 0.08 | 0.07 | -12.5% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Swainson
The Decennial U.S. Census data also provides insights into the ethnic identity associated with the Swainson surname. In 2010, the most common ethnicity was White, making up 64.65% of individuals with this surname, showing a slight decline of 3.74% from 2000 when it made up 67.16% of the Swainsons. Those identifying as Black constituted 24.65% of the Swainsons, which was an insignificant rise of 0.57% from 2000. There was no data for Asian/Pacific Islander or American Indian and Alaskan Native ethnicities in either census year. A new addition in 2010 was the Hispanic category constituting 6.05% of the population with this surname. Lastly, individuals who identified with two or more races decreased substantially from 6.37% in 2000 to 4.19% in 2010, marking a 34.22% reduction.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 67.16% | 64.65% | -3.74% |
| Black | 24.51% | 24.65% | 0.57% |
| Hispanic | 0% | 6.05% | 0% |
| Two or More Races | 6.37% | 4.19% | -34.22% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0% | 0% | 0% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0% | 0% | 0% |