Contents [hide]

Sweet History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Sweet History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Sweet comes from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It was a name for a person who was referred to as swete, which is an Old English word used to describe a sweet or gentle person. 1 Another source claims the name was "probably an Anglo-Saxon personal name, having reference to character." 2

Early Origins of the Sweet family

The surname Sweet was first found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 where the name was found as both a forename and a surname: Swet le Bone, Norfolk; Adam Swet, Oxfordshire; and Roger Swet, Cambridgeshire. 3

In Somerset, Walter Swete was listed there 1 Edward III (during the first year of the reign of King Edward III) 4 and later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Johannes Suete and Johannes Swete as holding lands there at that time. 3

Early History of the Sweet family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sweet research. Another 265 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1578, 1583, 1660, 1672, 1685, 1700, 1708, 1712, 1752, 1770, 1774, 1777, 1781 and 1821 are included under the topic Early Sweet History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sweet Spelling Variations

Only recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Sweet has undergone many spelling variations, including Sweit, Sweet, Swete, Sweete, Sweett and others.

Early Notables of the Sweet family

More information is included under the topic Early Sweet Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sweet Ranking

In the United States, the name Sweet is the 932^nd most popular surname with an estimated 32,331 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Sweet family to Ireland

Some of the Sweet family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 34 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sweet migration to the United States +

To escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Sweet were among those contributors:

Sweet Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Robert Sweet, who landed in Virginia in 1623 6
John Sweet, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 6
Thomas Sweet, who settled in Boston Massachusetts in 1633
Win Sweet, who arrived in Virginia in 1650 6
Geo Sweet, who arrived in Virginia in 1653 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sweet Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Amout Sweet, aged 13, who arrived in New York in 1711 6
Isaac Sweet, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 6
William Sweet, who arrived in America in 1760-1763 6

Sweet Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Lydna A Sweet, who arrived in Texas in 1835 6
Darius T Sweet, who arrived in New York in 1837 6
F P Sweet, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 6

Sweet migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sweet Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Benoni Sweet, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1760
Nehemiah Sweet, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1760
George Sweet, who landed in New Brunswick in 1783
Mr. George Sweet U.E. (b. 1749) born in Rhode Island, USA who settled in Saint John, New Brunswick c. 1783 passenger aboard the Union Transport he was a Wheelwright, he died in 1818 7
Mr. Charles Sweet U.E. who settled in Eastern District [Cornwall], Ontario c. 1784 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sweet Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Laton Sweet, who landed in Canada in 1841

Sweet migration to Australia +

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

Sweet Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Sweet, English stone mason who was convicted in Somerset, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Caledonia" in 19th June 1822, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Mr. Moses Sweet, British convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Gloucestershire, England for life, transported aboard the "Competitor"18th March 1823, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
Mr. Matthew Sweet, (Haskins), English convict who was convicted in Gloucester, Glouestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Champion" on 24th May 1827, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. William Sweet, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for life for burglary, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 19th August 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 11
Mr. William Sweet, (b. 1814), aged 19, English convict who was convicted in Somerset, England for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Atlas" on 27th April 1833, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sweet 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:

Sweet Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

E D Sweet, who landed in Nelson, New Zealand in 1842 aboard the ship Lord Auckland
Charles Sweet, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1843
Benjamin Sweet, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1870
Sarah Sweet, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1870
Thomas Sweet, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "City of Auckland" in 1870
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Sweet (post 1700) +

William Ellery Sweet (1869-1942), American politician, 23rd Governor of Colorado from 1923-1925
Robert Sweet (b. 1960), American drummer of the Christian metal band Stryper
Rachel Sweet (b. 1962), American singer, writer and actress
Ossian Sweet (1895-1960), American physician, eponym of the Sweet Trials
Michael Sweet (b. 1963), American vocalist for the Christian metal band Stryper
Elnathan Sweet (1837-1903), New York State Engineer and Surveyor (1884 to 1887)
Adolphus Jean "Dolph" Sweet (1920-1985), American actor who had nearly 60 television and film roles
Blanche Sweet (1896-1986), American silent film actress
B. J. Sweet, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Illinois, 1868 13
Arthur G. Sweet, American Republican politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Lyme, 1921-22 13
... (Another 65 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Sweet family +

Halifax Explosion

Master Robert Borden Sweet (1908-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 14
Mr. William Sweet (1879-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 14
Mrs. Annie Laurie Sweet (1887-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 14
Child Sweet, Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 14
Child Sweet, Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 14

RMS Lusitania

Mr. Frank Harold Sweet, Canadian 2nd Class passenger from Toronto, Ontario, Canada, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 15

RMS Titanic

Mr. George Frederick Sweet (d. 1912), aged 14, English Second Class passenger from Yeovil, Somerset who sailed aboard the RMS Titanic and died in the sinking 16

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. 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)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. 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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/competitor
Convict Records of Australia. Retreived 18th January 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/champion
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th July 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/atlas
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/
Titanic Passenger List - Titanic Facts. (Retrieved 2016, July 13) . Retrieved from http://www.titanicfacts.net/titanic-passenger-list.html