2000
#1,111
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,872
First available Census row
Per 100,000 10.70
Uncommon Last name
Sweet
An English occupational surname referring to a confectioner or a nickname for a pleasant or agreeable person.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 33,242 Americans carry the last name Sweet. That puts it at #1,189 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 9.70 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 10,311 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sweet 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 Sweet with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
33K
1 in 10,311
Census rank
#1,189
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
9.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
29K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 28,989 bearers of the surname Sweet in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 9.70 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1189th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sweet, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sweet
The surname Sweet is of English origin and dates back to the late 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "swete", which means pleasant or agreeable. The name likely referred to someone with a sweet or agreeable disposition.
The earliest recorded use of the surname Sweet can be found in the Hundredorum Rolls of Oxfordshire in 1273, where it appears as "Swete". Other early spellings include "Swet" and "Suet".
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are references to several place names containing the word "sweet", such as Swetton in Shropshire and Swettenham in Cheshire. These place names may have influenced the development of the surname Sweet in those areas.
One of the earliest recorded individuals with the surname Sweet was John Sweet, who was born around 1320 in Gloucestershire, England.
Another notable bearer of the name was Sir William Sweet, a Member of Parliament for Gloucestershire in the 15th century.
During the 16th century, the Sweet family established themselves in the county of Norfolk, where they were prominent landowners and gentry. One member of this family was Sir John Sweet, who served as a justice of the peace in Norfolk in the late 1500s.
In the 17th century, the Sweet name can be found in various parts of England, including London and the counties of Berkshire, Dorset, and Somerset. One notable figure from this period was Robert Sweet, a merchant and alderman in the City of London, born in 1620.
In the 18th century, the Sweet family continued to be influential in Norfolk, with several members serving as Members of Parliament and holding positions in the local government. One such individual was Sir Edward Sweet, who was born in 1710 and served as a Member of Parliament for Norfolk.
Throughout history, the Sweet surname has been associated with various professions, including merchants, landowners, politicians, and members of the gentry. While not a particularly common surname, it has been borne by notable individuals across several centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sweet
Among Census respondents with the surname Sweet, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sweet 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 Sweet surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White82.0% · 23,758
- Black or African American8.0% · 2,327
- Two or more races4.4% · 1,285
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 1,147
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 237
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 235
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sweet
Sweet 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
#1,169
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,051
+1,179 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 10.19
Rank movement Down 58 places
2020
#1,189
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 28,989
-1,062 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 9.70
Rank movement Down 20 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,111 | 28,872 | 10.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,169 | 30,051 | 10.19 | +1,179 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 58 places |
| 2020 | #1,189 | 28,989 | 9.70 | -1,062 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 20 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 Sweet 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 | #1,169 | #1,189 | -1.7% |
| Count | 30,051 | 28,989 | -3.5% |
| Per 100K | 10.19 | 9.70 | -4.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sweet bearers went from 30,051 to 28,989 (-3.5% change). The surname moved down 20 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,169 to #1,189.
FAQ
Sweet surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sweet?
Name Census estimates that about 33,242 living Americans carry the surname Sweet. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 10,311 residents.
How common is Sweet?
Sweet ranks #1,189 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 9.70 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 28,989 people with the surname Sweet. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (33,242), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 9.7 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 9.70 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Sweet.
Has Sweet become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sweet went from 30,051 recorded bearers to 28,989. That is a decrease of 1,062 (-3.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,169 to #1,189.
What does the Census say about the background of Sweet?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sweet, the largest self-reported group is White at 82.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.0%) and Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Sweet in the 2020 Census, accounting for 82.0% (23,758 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sweet appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (82.0%), Black (8.0%), Two or More Races (4.4%). 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 Sweet (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 Sweet mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a confectioner or a nickname for a pleasant or agreeable person. 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 Sweet (9.70 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 Sweet?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.