2000
#3,491
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,360
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.47
Uncommon Last name
Swisher
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or used a scythe for cutting grass or grain.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 10,230 Americans carry the last name Swisher. That puts it at #3,872 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.98 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 33,505 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Swisher 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.
Bearers in the US
10K
1 in 33,505
Census rank
#3,872
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
3.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.9K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,921 bearers of the surname Swisher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.98 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 3872nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Swisher, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Swisher
The surname Swisher originated in Germany, likely in the late 13th or early 14th century. It is derived from the Old German word "swisch," which referred to a bundle of twigs used for sweeping or brushing. This occupational surname was likely given to individuals who worked as sweepers or cleaners.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Swisher name can be found in the historical records of the city of Nuremberg, where a Johann Swischer is mentioned in a document dated 1387. The name also appears in various other German records and manuscripts from the 14th and 15th centuries, often with slight spelling variations such as Swisscher or Schwischer.
In the 16th century, the Swisher surname began to spread beyond Germany, with some families migrating to neighboring regions like Switzerland and the Netherlands. One notable individual from this period was Hans Swischer, a Swiss mercenary who fought in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648).
As the Swisher name continued to disperse across Europe, it eventually made its way to England, where it took on the spelling "Swisher." One of the earliest recorded instances of this spelling can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Nottinghamshire, where a William Swisher was baptized in 1642.
Over the centuries, the Swisher surname has been associated with various notable individuals, including:
1. Johann Swischer (1387-?), one of the earliest recorded individuals with the name, from Nuremberg, Germany.
2. Hans Swischer (c. 1590-1648), a Swiss mercenary who fought in the Thirty Years' War.
3. William Swisher (1642-?), one of the earliest recorded individuals with the English spelling of the name, from Nottinghamshire, England.
4. Jacob Swisher (1738-1814), an American Revolutionary War soldier and early settler in Virginia.
5. James Milton Swisher (1832-1916), an American businessman and diplomat who served as the United States Consul to Venice, Italy.
While the Swisher surname has its roots in Germany and the occupation of sweeping or cleaning, it has since spread across Europe and beyond, becoming associated with individuals from various walks of life throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Swisher
Among Census respondents with the surname Swisher, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Swisher 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 Swisher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.9% · 8,106
- Hispanic or Latino3.5% · 309
- Two or more races3.1% · 280
- Black or African American1.4% · 128
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 60
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 38
Timeline
Historical Census data for Swisher
Swisher 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
#3,754
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 9,431
+71 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 3.20
Rank movement Down 263 places
2020
#3,872
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,921
-510 bearers (-5.4%)
Per 100,000 2.98
Rank movement Down 118 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,491 | 9,360 | 3.47 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #3,754 | 9,431 | 3.20 | +71 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 263 places |
| 2020 | #3,872 | 8,921 | 2.98 | -510 bearers (-5.4%) | Down 118 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 Swisher 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 | #3,754 | #3,872 | -3.1% |
| Count | 9,431 | 8,921 | -5.4% |
| Per 100K | 3.20 | 2.98 | -6.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Swisher bearers went from 9,431 to 8,921 (-5.4% change). The surname moved down 118 positions in the national ranking, going from #3,754 to #3,872.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Swisher
FAQ
Swisher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Swisher?
Name Census estimates that about 10,230 living Americans carry the surname Swisher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 33,505 residents.
How common is Swisher?
Swisher ranks #3,872 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.98 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,921 people with the surname Swisher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (10,230), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.98 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.98 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Swisher.
Has Swisher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Swisher went from 9,431 recorded bearers to 8,921. That is a decrease of 510 (-5.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #3,754 to #3,872.
What does the Census say about the background of Swisher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Swisher, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.9%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.5%) and Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Swisher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.9% (8,106 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Swisher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.9%), Hispanic (3.5%), Two or More Races (3.1%). 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 Swisher (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 Swisher mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who made or used a scythe for cutting grass or grain. 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 Swisher (2.98 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 common is the surname Swisher?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Swisher, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.