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 1,069
Agricultural Labourer 200
General Labourer 60
Labourer 60
Dress Maker 57
Domestic Servant 51
Coal Miner 46
General Servant 42
Annuitant 31
Carpenter 29
Cotton Weaver 29
Farm Labourer 28
Laundress 24
General Servant Domestic 21
Charwoman 16
House Keeper 16
No Occupation 15
Joiner 14
Tailor 14
General Domestic Servant 13
Painter 13
Clerk 12
Cook Domestic Servant 12
Fisherman 12
Bricklayer 11

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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