Swain Name Meaning: From an Old English personal name 'Swein' & in turn from the Old Norse name 'Sveinn/Sven', meaning youth (also a word sometimes used to describe a boy or boy servant).
One of the oldext surnames recroded, of viking origin. A word used to describe a boy, servant, young man or 'rustic lover' (often used in Shakespeare). Also a name given to the young master of a boat (boatswain).
Discover how your Swain ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.| Bedfordshire | 183 |
| Buckinghamshire | 66 |
| Berkshire | 129 |
| Cambridgeshire | 16 |
| Channel Islands | 1 |
| Cheshire | 157 |
| Cornwall | 9 |
| Cumberland | 19 |
| Derbyshire | 287 |
| Devon | 85 |
| Dorset | 27 |
| Durham | 55 |
| Essex | 166 |
| Gloucestershire | 75 |
| Hampshire | 55 |
| Herefordshire | 14 |
| Hertfordshire | 212 |
| Huntingdonshire (and Rutland) | 4 |
| Isle of Man | 9 |
| Kent | 310 |
| Lancashire | 606 |
| Leicestershire | 200 |
| Lincolnshire | 195 |
| London | 844 |
| Middlesex | 225 |
| Northumberland | 8 |
| Norfolk | 20 |
| Northamptonshire | 101 |
| Nottinghamshire | 340 |
| Oxfordshire | 8 |
| Rutland (and Huntingdonshire) | 4 |
| Shropshire | 85 |
| Suffolk | 22 |
| Somerset | 197 |
| Surrey | 108 |
| Sussex | 244 |
| Staffordshire | 298 |
| Warwickshire | 413 |
| Westmorland | 3 |
| Wiltshire | 46 |
| Worcestershire | 100 |
| Yorkshire | 485 |
| Anglesey | 1 |
| Brecknockshire | 6 |
| Cardiganshire | 0 |
| Carnarvonshire | 2 |
| Carmarthenshire | 4 |
| Denbighshire | 5 |
| Flintshire | 2 |
| Glamorgan | 67 |
| Merionethshire | 0 |
| Montgomeryshire | 60 |
| Monmouthshire | 38 |
| Pembrokeshire | 1 |
| Radnorshire | 1 |
| Profession | Census Frequency |
|---|---|
| General Labourer | 78 |
| Living On Own Means | 65 |
| General Servant Domestic | 55 |
| Scholar | 55 |
| Dress Maker | 39 |
| Cook Domestic | 38 |
| Agricultural Labourer | 31 |
| Farmer | 30 |
| Coal Miner C Hewer | 27 |
| Carpenter | 25 |
| Housemaid Domestic | 24 |
| Coal Miner Hewer | 24 |
| Cotton Weaver | 23 |
| Domestic Servant | 22 |
| Gardener Domestic | 19 |
| Laundress Wash | 18 |
| Bricklayer | 17 |
| House Keeper Domestic | 15 |
| Dressmaker | 14 |
| Laundress | 14 |
| Bricklayer Labourer | 14 |
| Ordinary Agricultural Labourer | 14 |
| Commercial Clerk | 13 |
| House Painter | 13 |
| Tailor | 13 |
| Name | Census Frequency |
|---|---|
| William Swain | 2,584 |
| Mary Swain | 2,387 |
| John Swain | 2,146 |
| Elizabeth Swain | 1,547 |
| George Swain | 1,447 |
| Sarah Swain | 1,447 |
| Thomas Swain | 1,370 |
| James Swain | 1,223 |
| Ann Swain | 912 |
| Charles Swain | 838 |
| Joseph Swain | 758 |
| Henry Swain | 716 |
| Jane Swain | 681 |
| Emma Swain | 582 |
| Eliza Swain | 573 |
| Annie Swain | 550 |
| Alice Swain | 549 |
| Edward Swain | 523 |
| Arthur Swain | 479 |
| Ellen Swain | 474 |
| Samuel Swain | 459 |
| Frederick Swain | 443 |
| Hannah Swain | 434 |
| Richard Swain | 427 |
| Emily Swain | 424 |
| Rank | Surname | Match | Census Frequency |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Swain | 100% | 39,675 |
| 2 | Swan | 80% | 39,286 |
| 3 | Swaine | 83% | 9,553 |
| 4 | Oswin | 60% | 2,352 |
| 5 | Swayne | 67% | 1,922 |
| 6 | Swine | 60% | 752 |
| 7 | Swin | 80% | 686 |
| 8 | Swane | 60% | 463 |
| 9 | Sewin | 60% | 192 |
| 10 | Sween | 60% | 192 |
| 11 | Swanne | 67% | 178 |
| 12 | Sowen | 40% | 177 |
| 13 | Sawn | 60% | 131 |
| 14 | Aswin | 60% | 115 |
| 15 | Sawin | 60% | 104 |
| 16 | Swen | 60% | 102 |
The surname Swain is the most popular version of all its varients