Swan is used as a family name or surname in Ireland, Scotland. It is 4 characters long in length.

Family Name / Last Name: Swan
No. of characters: 4
Origin: Ireland, Scotland
Meaning:

The form of Sain. Sound or healthy of the Count's wood.

The family name is a variation of Swain. The man who acted as a servant or attendant; one who tended swine; descendant of Swain meaning "young man, or boy sevrant".

Dweller at the sign of the swan; the swain, a servant; descendant of Sevinn or Swan meaning "knight's attendant"; one who kept swans.

The variant form of Swem. Dweller at the sign of the swan.

Lastname Swan is the variation of Swain. The Anglo-Saxon swán, a pastoral servant, and the Scand. Sweyn, a proper name originally of the same import, have impressed themselves upon many localities, which in their turn have given designations to families. Among those which do not occur in gazetteers are Swainston, Swainsland (now Swaysland), Swanston, and others.

1. Perhaps the same as Swaine - 1. A Scandinavian personal name of great antiquity, introduced here under the Danish rule. Domesday shows us several persons (tenants in chief and otherwise) called Svain, Suain, Suanus, Suuen, Swen or Sueno, some of whom are specifically stated to have held lands under Edward the Confessor. Suain of Essex, supposed by Morant to have been of Danish origin, was ancestor of the famous Henry de Essex, temp. Henry II. 2. The Anglo-Saxon swán meaning a pastoral servant. The forms in the Rotuli Hundredorum are Le Swein, Le Sweyn, and Sweyn

2. The bird was famous in old heroic times, both as a dainty of the table, and as an heraldric badge. Edward III used to swear by it. One Bartholomew le Swan occurs in the archives of Battel Abbey. 3. Srán, Anglo-Saxon, a herdsman or pastoral servant.

Surname is a variant form of Swonnell. See Swannell - 1. Considered by scholars to be a diminutive of Swan. The corresponding name Suanila is found in Germany so early as the VII century. 2. Perhaps from swan, and hals, 'swan-necked,' a complimentary epithet sometimes applied to Anglo-Saxon ladies.

How popular is Swan?

Swan is common in United States, England, Australia, Canada, Scotland, Myanmar, Indonesia, South Africa, Nigeria, New Zealand, Ireland, Egypt, Bangladesh, Bermuda, India, Philippines, Morocco, Wales, Malaysia, Trinidad and Tobago, France, DR Congo, Afghanistan, Israel.

Swan is ranked 8349 on our list.

Despite the fact that the number of Swan bearers increased by 4.16 per cent in 2010 US census to 23001 since 2000, the surname slipped by 87 spots and ranked at 1564. The last name was found in around 8 per hundred thousand population. Please refer to following table for race and ethnicity.

Race 2010 2000
White 79.17 81.75
Black 12.91 12.02
Hispanic or Latino 2.43 1.59
Others 2.39 1.77
American Indian and Alaska Native 2.19 2.15
Asian and Native Hawaiian
& Other Pacific Islander		 0.92 0.72
Swan is quite popular family name mostly used in United States however Bermuda is ahead in terms of density. Around 68325 people have been found who wears Swan as their family name. Swan is used widely across the globe. More detailed information can be found below:
RankCountryCount
Countries with ten thousands of Swan:
1,483 United States30,306
Countries with thousands of Swan:
984 England8,205
466 Australia8,182
1,239 Canada4,407
299 Scotland3,263
403 Myanmar2,726
7,117 Indonesia2,015
6,407 South Africa1,073
10,722 Nigeria1,022
Countries with hundreds of Swan:
727 New Zealand988
843 Ireland898
9,804 Egypt763
9,758 Bangladesh451
13 Bermuda395
69,289 India378
57,049 Philippines213
29,345 Morocco204
1,773 Wales189
9,956 Malaysia182
1,261 Trinidad and Tobago155
62,491 France154
40,658 DR Congo144
4,597 Afghanistan113
9,393 Israel111
Countries with low frequency i.e., 50 - 100:
7,490 Sweden95
2,507 Northern Ireland87
130,701 Thailand87
27,376 Netherlands86
3,013 Cambodia80
5,426 Dominican Republic77
260 Grenada77
837 Brunei73
10,585 Norway68
93,059 Brazil66
1,204 China63
29,184 Japan57
337 United States Virgin Islands55
29,631 Zimbabwe53
Countries with very low frequency i.e., 10 - 50:
2,051 Guyana50
667 Bahamas49
100,509 Germany46
22,491 Mexico43
10,676 Kuwait39
18,223 Switzerland39
1,308 Belize35
86,050 Italy34
13,630 Iraq31
47,033 Spain30
43,971 Belgium27
12,460 Liberia24
19,707 Finland22
3,192 Hong Kong19
1,065 Isle of Man17
247 Turks and Caicos Islands16
2,518 Vietnam14
58,392 Pakistan13
18,211 Singapore13
Countries with very very low frequency i.e., 6 - 10:
714 Vanuatu9
20,087 Colombia8
138,864 Poland8
1,699 Barbados7
97,842 Czechia7
2,872 Jersey7
16,935 Jordan7
52,907 Kenya6
55,922 Qatar6
1,433 South Korea6
Show Full Last Name Distribution

Immigrants to US

From Ireland

Ellen Swan was 18 years old when she migrated to USA during Irish famine on May 15, 1846. She lived in Great Britain where she worked as workwoman and took Monteauma from Liverpool. Farmer Pat Swan, Biddy Swan (16) Farmer, William Swan (28) Immigrant, Immigrant Eliza Swan, Born at sea John Swan, Miner David Swan, 23 years old James Swan, William Swan (27) Wright, and 62 other Swan around 42.5% of whom were workman while others worked as farmer and miner, servant, spinster, mechanic migrated to US from Liverpool, Newry and Greenock.

From Germany

Carl Swan worked as smith and hailed from Dolgieu, Germany. 27 years old embarked for Chicago from Bremen & Bremerhaven on Herzogin Von Brabant and arrived on August 15, 1865. John Swan (24) Plumber, Anders-A. Swan, 24 years old Whm. Swan, Merchant Frank Swan, John Swan (25) Hostler, Albert Swan (21), Suskind Swan, aged 49, 50 years old S. Swan, Mrs. Swan, 52 years old S. Swan, and 5 other Swan around 36.36% of whom were merchant while others worked as importer migrated to US from Liverpool & Queenstown, Bremen & Southampton and Hamburg.

Swan Namesakes

  • Jeremy Swan, Irish cardiologist, originally from Sligo
  • John Macallan Swan, English painter and sculptor
  • Lucile Swan, American sculptor and artist
  • Samuel Swan, five-term U.S. Congressman and medical doctor
  • Thomas Walter Swan, longtime Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
  • James G. Swan, American Indian agent
  • Robert Swan, first person to walk to both Poles
  • Kenneth Dupee Swan, American nature photographer
  • Michael Swan, American film and TV actor
  • Donald A. Swan, American anthropologist
  • Hudson Swan, Scottish musician, specializing in folk music
  • Astrid Swan, Finnish musician and singer
  • Joseph Swan, English physicist, chemist, and inventor
  • Curt Swan, comics creator
  • Wayne Swan, Australian politician
  • Andrew Swan, politician in Manitoba, Canada
  • Susan Swan, Canadian author
  • Buddy Swan, American child actor
  • Billy Swan, American Country singer-songwriter, best
  • Conrad Swan, retired long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms
  • Dane Swan, former professional Australian rules footballer
  • Russ Swan, relief pitcher in Major League Baseball
  • Craig Swan, Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Scott Swan, American filmmaker and screenwriter
  • Sierra Swan, American musician
  • Derek Swan, Irish former footballer who played as a forward
  • Tan Koon Swan, controversial Malaysian political and corporate figure
  • Trevor Swan, Australian economist
  • William Graham Swan, American attorney and politician active primarily
  • Maurice Swan, former Irish professional footballer

Swan Namesakes

  • Jeremy Swan, Irish cardiologist, originally from Sligo
  • John Macallan Swan, English painter and sculptor
  • Lucile Swan, American sculptor and artist
  • Samuel Swan, five-term U.S. Congressman and medical doctor
  • Thomas Walter Swan, longtime Judge of the United States Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit
  • James G. Swan, American Indian agent
  • Robert Swan, first person to walk to both Poles
  • Kenneth Dupee Swan, American nature photographer
  • Michael Swan, American film and TV actor
  • Donald A. Swan, American anthropologist
  • Hudson Swan, Scottish musician, specializing in folk music
  • Astrid Swan, Finnish musician and singer
  • Joseph Swan, English physicist, chemist, and inventor
  • Curt Swan, comics creator
  • Wayne Swan, Australian politician
  • Andrew Swan, politician in Manitoba, Canada
  • Susan Swan, Canadian author
  • Buddy Swan, American child actor
  • Billy Swan, American Country singer-songwriter, best
  • Conrad Swan, retired long-serving officer of arms at the College of Arms
  • Dane Swan, former professional Australian rules footballer
  • Russ Swan, relief pitcher in Major League Baseball
  • Craig Swan, Major League Baseball pitcher
  • Scott Swan, American filmmaker and screenwriter
  • Sierra Swan, American musician
  • Derek Swan, Irish former footballer who played as a forward
  • Tan Koon Swan, controversial Malaysian political and corporate figure
  • Trevor Swan, Australian economist
  • William Graham Swan, American attorney and politician active primarily
  • Maurice Swan, former Irish professional footballer

Related Family Names: