Last Names

Surnames / M

McSwain

How common is the last name McSwain?

About this name

We do not yet have a written origin for McSwain, so here is what the census records show.

Surname origins are rarely settled, and we would rather say nothing than guess. The sources below are the best places to look, and our guide to how surnames began explains the usual types.

Names nearby in the census

#5,600

McSwain was the 5,600th most common surname in the 2010 US Census, with 6,213 people, about 2.0 in every 100,000.

Who carries it

  • White (non-Hispanic)64.8%
  • Hispanic or Latino1.9%
  • Black (non-Hispanic)29.9%
  • Asian or Pacific Islander0.3%
  • Two or more races2.4%
  • American Indian or Alaska Native0.7%

Check the sources

For a name you are serious about, compare the dictionaries: Reaney and Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames; Hanks, Dictionary of American Family Names.