Swan Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Swan Name Meaning: From an Old English personal name 'Swein' & in turn from the Old Norse name 'Sveinn'.

First found in Lanarkshire & was a nickname given to a person noted for purity or excellence, or resembling a swan in some other way.

Discover how your Swan ancestors earned their living and spread across the country. Find out more about your family history by using the Free Search box.

Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Swan Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Swan family

Profession Census Frequency
Scholar 907
Agricultural Labourer 203
Labourer 121
Domestic Servant 59
General Servant 49
House Keeper 32
Farm Labourer 29
Dress Maker 24
Carpenter 22
Laundress 22
Gardener 20
Servant 20
Shoe Maker 19
Coal Miner 19
Wife Of Above 18
Joiner 18
Annuitant 18
Cotton Weaver 17
Blacksmith 15
Farm Servant 15
Tailor 13
Clerk 13
General Servant Domestic 12
Groom 12
Cook 12

Swan Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Swain 80% 39,675
2 Swan 100% 39,286
3 Swann 80% 21,620
4 Swaine 67% 9,553
5 Oswin 60% 2,352
6 Swine 60% 752
7 Swin 75% 686
8 Swane 80% 463
9 Sewin 60% 192
10 Sween 60% 192
11 Sowen 60% 177
12 Sawn 50% 131
13 Aswin 60% 115
14 Sawin 60% 104
15 Swen 75% 102

Did you know?

The surname Swan is the 2nd most popular variant of Swain.

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