Contents [hide]

Swann History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Swann History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Scotland
Ireland
England

The story of the Swann family stretches back through time to the Viking settlers who populated the rugged shores of Scotland in the Medieval era. The name Swann was derived from the Old English personal name Swein, which was originally derived from the Old Norse name Sveinn. This was one of the most common Scandinavian names in medieval Britain. Another source claims the name was an occupational name for someone "who acted as a servant or attendant; one who tended swine; descendant of Swain (young man, or boy servant)." 1

Sweyn or Svein (d. 1014), was "King of England and Denmark, called Forkbeard, son of Harold Blaatand, King of Denmark, probably by his Queen Gunhild, though it was said that his mother was a Slav, a servant in the house of Palna-Toki, or Tokko, in Funen. " 2

Earl Sweyn or Swegen (d. 1052), "the eldest son of Earl Godwin or Godwine and his wife Gytha, was early in 1043, when Edward or Eadward, called the Confessor, had become king, appointed to an earldom that was partly Mercian and partly West-Saxon, for it included Oxfordshire, Berkshire, Gloucestershire, Herefordshire, and Somerset. " 2

Early Origins of the Swann family

The surname Swann was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow, from very early times.

Further south in England, the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed early spelling of the family: John le Swein and Robert le Swein in Oxfordshire; and Geoffrey le Sueyn in Norfolk. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists: Robertus Swaynne. 3

"The ancient name of Swain, which is now best represented in Lincolnshire, Leicestershire, Derbyshire, and Devonshire, was established in the form of Sweyn, rarely of Swayn, during the 13th century in Lincolnshire, Norfolk, Cambridgeshire, and Oxfordshire, being most numerous in the last two counties. " 4

Early History of the Swann family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Swann research. Another 204 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1214, 1250, 1499, 1510, 1521, 1540, 1542, 1550, 1585, 1609, 1680, 1690 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Swann History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Swann Spelling Variations

Spelling variations are extremely common among Scottish names dating from this era because the arts of spelling and translation were not yet standardized. Spelling was done by sound, and translation from Gaelic to English was generally quite careless. In different records, Swann has been spelled Swan, Swann, Swanner, Swani, Swayne, Swein, Sweing, Sweyn and many more.

Early Notables of the Swann family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was Charles Swan (killed 1690), who was forced into piracy by his crew in the 1680s. He was killed when he attempted to escape back to England on a Dutch ship with five thousand pounds.Robert Some...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Swann Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Swann Ranking

In the United States, the name Swann is the 2,336^th most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Swann family to Ireland

Some of the Swann family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 70 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Swann migration to the United States +

Those who made the voyage were greeted with ample opportunity to acquire land and a political climate far away from the oppressive monarchy of the old country. They settled along the east coast of what would become Canada and the United States. In the American War of Independence, those who remained loyal to England traveled north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. In this century, many Scots living in North America have begun to recover their rich heritage through festivals, highland games, and Clan societies. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has shown early immigrants bearing the name Swann:

Swann Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jo Swann, aged 18, who landed in Virginia in 1635 6
Martha Swann, who landed in Virginia in 1635 6
Richard Swann, who landed in Virginia in 1645 6
Ann Swann, who landed in Virginia in 1649 6
George Swann, who arrived in Virginia in 1652 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Swann Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Eliza Swann, who arrived in Virginia in 1719 6

Swann Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Swann, who arrived in New York, NY in 1813 6
Esther Swann, aged 20, who landed in America in 1822 6
T F Swann, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1888 6

Swann migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Swann Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Swann, English convict who was convicted in Cambridge, Cambridgeshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Captain Cook" on 2nd May 1833, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. George Swann who was convicted in Derby, England for life, transported aboard the "David Malcolm" on 13th May 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) and Norfolk Island 8
Mr. James Swann, (b. 1819), aged 26, English convict who was convicted in Derby, England for life for burglary, transported aboard the "David Malcolm" on 13th May 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) and Norfolk Island, he died in 1867 8
Mr. Samuel Swann who was convicted in Derby, England for life, transported aboard the "David Malcolm" on 13th May 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) and Norfolk Island 8
John Swann, English convict from York, who was transported aboard the "Adelaide" on August 08, 1849, settling in Van Diemen's Land and Port Phillip, Australia 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Swann migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Swann Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Swann, British settler arriving as Detachment of the Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 10
Mrs. Elizabeth Swann, British settler travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Sir George Symour" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 26th November 1847 10
Mr. James Butler Swann, (b. 1833), aged 29, English farm labourer, from Lincolnshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 10
Mrs. Margaret Swann, (b. 1834), aged 28, English settler, from Lincolnshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 10
Mr. Arthur Swann, (b. 1857), aged 5, English settler, from Lincolnshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Swann (post 1700) +

Lamin Swann (1977-2023), American politician and businessman, Member of the Kentucky House of Representatives from January 2023 until his death
Lynn Curtis Swann (b. 1952), American former NFL professional football player
Lynn Swann (b. 1952), former professional NFL football player for the Pittsburgh Steelers
John Swann (1760-1793), American politician, Delegate to Continental Congress from North Carolina, 1788 11
Jack Karnes Swann, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Carolina, 2008 11
J. J. Swann, American politician, Member of Texas State Senate 11th District, 1901-02 11
Howard J. Swann, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Texas, 1952 11
Howard G. Swann, American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Texas, 1956 11
Edward Swann (1862-1945), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from New York 10th District, 1902-03; New York County District Attorney, 1916-21; Candidate for Justice of New York Supreme Court 1st District, 1920 11
Douglas Swann, American politician, Candidate for Mayor of Howell, Michigan, 1987 11
... (Another 28 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Swann family +

HMS Cornwall

Lawrence T Swann (d. 1942), British Stoker 1st Class aboard the HMS Cornwall when she was struck by air bombers and sunk; he died in the sinking 12

The Swann Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Fidelitas
Motto Translation: Fidelity.

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/captain-cook
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-malcolm
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 17) Adelaide voyage to Van Diemen's Land and Port Phillip, Australia in 1849 with 303 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adelaide/1849
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Force Z Survivors Crew List HMS Cornwall (Retrieved 2018, February 13th) - Retrieved from https://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listcornwallcrew.html#A