Explore the Family Name Sweet

The meaning of Sweet

1. English (Somerset): from the Middle English personal name Swet(e) (Old English Swēt(a) (male), Swēte (female)), or else a nickname from Middle English swet(e), sweyt ‘sweet; pleasing; beloved; attractive’ (Old English swēte, swōt), from which the personal names derive. Compare Swett. 2. Americanized form (translation into English) of German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) Suess and French Ledoux ‘the gentle, the sweet’.

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

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

Based on the Decennial U.S. Census, the popularity of the surname 'Sweet' saw a mild decline between 2000 and 2010. In 2000, 'Sweet' ranked at 1111 but fell slightly to 1169 in 2010, marking a decrease of 5.22%. Despite this drop in rank, the absolute number of people bearing the surname 'Sweet' actually increased during this period. The count rose from 28,872 in 2000 to 30,051 in 2010, indicating a growth of 4.08%. However, its proportion per 100k individuals dipped by 4.77%, from 10.7 to 10.19.

20002010Change
Rank#1,111#1,169-5.22%
Count28,87230,0514.08%
Proportion per 100k10.710.19-4.77%

Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Sweet

When considering the ethnicity associated with the surname 'Sweet', data from the Decennial U.S. Census shows shifts across various ethnic identities between 2000 and 2010. The percentage of those with an Asian/Pacific Islander ethnic identity increased by 23.08%, while those identifying with two or more races saw a 47.95% rise. The proportion of Hispanic individuals with the surname also experienced significant growth, increasing by 61.99%. Conversely, the percentage of individuals identifying as White decreased marginally by 3.14%, while the Black community saw a slight increase of 9.22%. Lastly, the American Indian and Alaskan Native group witnessed a 25.71% growth in the use of the surname 'Sweet'.

20002010Change
White87.91%85.15%-3.14%
Black7.7%8.41%9.22%
Hispanic1.71%2.77%61.99%
Two or More Races1.46%2.16%47.95%
American Indian and Alaskan Native0.7%0.88%25.71%
Asian/Pacific Islander0.52%0.64%23.08%

Sweet ancestry composition

23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Sweet is British & Irish, which comprises 47.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (24.0%) and Eastern European (5.2%). Additional ancestries include Ashkenazi Jewish, Scandinavian, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Indigenous American.

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ANCESTRY BREAKDOWNCOMPOSITION
British & Irish47.4%
French & German24.0%
Eastern European5.2%
Other23.4%
Sweet

Possible origins of the surname Sweet

Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.

Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Sweet have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.

RECENT ANCESTRY LocationPercentage
Greater London, United Kingdom84.40%
Merseyside, United Kingdom84.20%
Greater Manchester, United Kingdom84.20%
Glasgow City, United Kingdom84.00%
West Midlands, United Kingdom84.00%

What Sweet haplogroups can tell you

Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.

The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Sweet is R-Z19, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup R-Z19 is descended from haplogroup R-M343. Other common haplogroups include R-M405 and R-CTS241, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Grover, Foote, Whitley, Laird, Cushman, Jobe, Scarborough, Duckworth, Denton, Albin.

The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Sweet surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.

sweetPaternal Haplogroup Origins R-M343
Paternal Haplo Image

Your paternal lineage may be linked to King Louis XVI

The rule of France by men of the House of Bourbon began with King Henri IV in 1589 C.E. and continued until the beheading of his direct paternal descendant King Louis XVI in 1793. Several years ago, researchers analyzed a mummified head and a blood-soaked cloth that they believed might belong to the two kings, and concluded that the royal paternal line belonged to haplogroup G. In a more recent study, however, a different set of researchers tested three living men who are direct descendants of the Bourbon kings. Their efforts revealed that the male lineage of the House of Bourbon is actually a branch of haplogroup R-M405.

Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette

Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.

Maternal Haplo Image

What do people with the surname Sweet have in common?

Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.

Preferences

Sweet

Chocolate Ice Cream

Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.

"Sweet" Surname 41.9%

23andMe Users 41.3%

Traits

Sweet

Misophonia

When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.

"Sweet" Surname 24.0%

23andMe Users 27.9%

Habits

Sweet

Sugary Drink

Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.

"Sweet" Surname 21.1%

23andMe Users 21.1%

Wellness

Sweet

Migraine

A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.

"Sweet" Surname 20.9%

23andMe Users 16.4%

Are health conditions linked to the last name Sweet?

The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.

Disease variant frequency by ancestry

Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Sweet are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition

Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Y402H variant

Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is the most common cause of irreversible vision loss among older adults. The disease results in damage to the central part of the retina (the macula), impairing vision needed for reading, driving, or even recognizing faces. The 23andMe Health + Ancestry DNA test includes the two most common variants associated with an increased risk of developing the condition: the Y402H variant in the CFH gene and the A69S variant in the ARMS2 gene. Learn more about Age-Related Macular Degeneration

British & Irish 62.1%

23andMe Users 57.2%