2000
#1,338
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,220
First available Census row
Per 100,000 8.98
Uncommon Last name
Swain
A surname of English origin referring to a young male servant or attendant, often a squire.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 27,575 Americans carry the last name Swain. That puts it at #1,443 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.05 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 12,430 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swain 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Swain with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
28K
1 in 12,430
Census rank
#1,443
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
24K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 24,047 bearers of the surname Swain in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.05 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1443rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swain, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (25.9%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swain
The surname Swain originated in England and can be traced back to the Old English words "swan" and "swein", meaning a servant or herdsman. It was likely used as an occupational surname for those who tended swans or herded livestock.
In medieval times, the name Swain was most prevalent in the southern counties of England, particularly in Wiltshire, Dorset, and Somerset. The earliest recorded instance of the name dates back to the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "Sweyn" in various locations across the country.
The surname Swain has several historical references, including its appearance in the Pipe Rolls of Wiltshire in 1195, where a Robert Sweyn is mentioned. In the Hundred Rolls of 1273, a Walter Sweyn is recorded in Oxfordshire, and in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex from 1332, a John Sweyn is listed.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Swain can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Dorset from 1189, which mention a Robert Swain. Another early example is Walter Swain, who was recorded as a landowner in the Assize Rolls of Staffordshire in 1279.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Swain. One of the earliest was John Swain (c. 1370-1450), an English cleric who served as the Bishop of Bangor from 1389 to 1399. Another early figure was William Swain (c. 1490-1577), an English lawyer and member of Parliament during the reign of Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, John Swain (1613-1683) was a prominent English clergyman and author who served as the Master of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge. During the same period, John Swain (1640-1707) was a Member of Parliament and Lord Mayor of London.
In the 19th century, Joseph Swain (1857-1909) was an English cricketer who played for Gloucestershire County Cricket Club, while Charles Swain (1801-1874) was an American Baptist minister and educator who served as the sixth president of Brown University.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swain
Among Census respondents with the surname Swain, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (25.9%) and Two or More Races (5.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Swain 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 Swain surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White62.6% · 15,053
- Black or African American25.9% · 6,239
- Two or more races5.0% · 1,213
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 813
- Asian and Pacific Islander2.4% · 569
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 160
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swain
Swain 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
#1,412
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 25,157
+937 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 8.53
Rank movement Down 74 places
2020
#1,443
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 24,047
-1,110 bearers (-4.4%)
Per 100,000 8.05
Rank movement Down 31 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,338 | 24,220 | 8.98 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,412 | 25,157 | 8.53 | +937 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 74 places |
| 2020 | #1,443 | 24,047 | 8.05 | -1,110 bearers (-4.4%) | Down 31 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 Swain 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 | #1,412 | #1,443 | -2.2% |
| Count | 25,157 | 24,047 | -4.4% |
| Per 100K | 8.53 | 8.05 | -5.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swain bearers went from 25,157 to 24,047 (-4.4% change). The surname moved down 31 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,412 to #1,443.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Swain
FAQ
Swain surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swain?
Name Census estimates that about 27,575 living Americans carry the surname Swain. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 12,430 residents.
How common is Swain?
Swain ranks #1,443 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.05 per 100,000 residents, which is about 8 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 24,047 people with the surname Swain. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (27,575), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.05 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.05 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 8 of them to have the surname Swain.
Has Swain become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swain went from 25,157 recorded bearers to 24,047. That is a decrease of 1,110 (-4.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,412 to #1,443.
What does the Census say about the background of Swain?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swain, the largest self-reported group is White at 62.6%. The next largest groups are Black (25.9%) and Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Swain in the 2020 Census, accounting for 62.6% (15,053 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swain appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (62.6%), Black (25.9%), Two or More Races (5.0%). 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 Swain (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 Swain mean?
A surname of English origin referring to a young male servant or attendant, often a squire. 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 Swain (8.05 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 surname Swain?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.