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 894
Agricultural Labourer 119
General Labourer 103
Coal Miner 49
Domestic Servant 48
Dress Maker 46
Living On Own Means 38
Living On Her Own Means 34
Labourer 33
Farm Labourer 32
Farmer 31
Laundress 29
General Servant 28
General Servant Domestic 23
Carpenter 23
Cotton Weaver 22
Blacksmith 20
Clerk 19
Gardener 18
House Keeper 18
Grocer 17
Joiner 17
Painter 15
Bricklayer 12
Grocer Assistant 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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