Given name & surname
Swain
Swain is used as a given name and a surname. One English interpretation is “a country boy; one who herds swine; a knight's attendant.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One English interpretation is “a country boy; one who herds swine; a knight's attendant.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is English.
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1916. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Swain through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 71
- 71 boys · 0 girls
- Most popular year
- 1973
- 14 babies
- 2025
- 0
- Outside the ranked list
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- —
- Too few births to compare
By the numbers
The most recent published U.S. birth count for boys is 10 in 1987. Later missing counts do not mean the name went unused. Its largest published annual count for boys was 14 in 1973. Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 197 as a first name in 2020; 24,047 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Swain’s family of names
Swain has a related form in Sven. Swain has a related form in Swaen. Swain has a related form in Swaene.
The ring: nicknames and forms.
Nicknames & forms 7
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
Similar names
If you love Swain, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
Kevine
“a beautiful and beloved child”
>99% boys
Shelton
“from the farm on the ledge”
>99% boys
Charlton
“from the free man's town”
>99% boys
Shane
“God is gracious”
98% boys · 2% girls
Vinson
“the son of Vincent”
>99% boys
Delvin
“a godly friend”
98% boys · 2% girls
Chadwick
“from Chad's dairy farm”
>99% boys
Lakeith
Lakeith is a masculine given name from English. It is used in French.
>99% boys