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Schwab History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Schwab History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

The Schwab family name first began to be used in the German state of Bavaria. After the 12th century, as hereditary surnames began to be adopted, names that were derived from locations became particularly common. The family name Schwab is a local surname. Originally denoting the proprietorship of an estate or influence within a village, the German preposition von, which means from or of, used with local names, was taken as a mark of aristocracy. The surname Schwab was given to someone who lived in Swabia, a medieval dukedom that was in southwestern Germany. This is a regional name for a person who was form Swabia having derived from the Germanic word Schwaben, which means Swabian and is derived from the name of the Germanic tribe that inhabited this region. The Latin form of the tribal name is Suebi or Suevi.

Early Origins of the Schwab family

The surname Schwab was first found in Franconia and later Mecklenburg, where the name became prominent as many branches of the same house acquired distant estates, some in foreign countries such as Austria. They were always elevating their social status by intermarriage and by their great contributions to society. The name Schwab has been traced to Mecklenburg as early as 1298, when Ulrich Schwab, the first Count of Nemerow, lived. Chronicles also mention Christian Schwabel in Franconia in 1414.

Early History of the Schwab family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Schwab research. Another 222 words (16 lines of text) covering the years 1540, 1575, 1615, 1645, 1714, 1784, 1810 and 1840 are included under the topic Early Schwab History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Schwab Spelling Variations

Many cultural groups lived in the German states in medieval times. Each had its own dialect and traditions, and unique variations of popular names. Low German, which is similar to contemporary Dutch, was spoken in Westphalia. German names are characterized by additions such as regional suffixes and phrases that tell something about the origin or background of its original bearer. Further contributing to the variation in German names was the fact that there were no spelling rules in medieval times: scribes recorded names according to their sound. The recorded spelling variations of Schwab include Schwab, Schwabe, Schwabel, Schwebel, Swab and others.

Early Notables of the Schwab family

Prominent among members of the name Schwab in this period include

Johann Joachim Schwabe (1714-1784), who was philosopher and librarian in Leipzig...
Schwab was one of the outstanding personalities of a band of poets called the "Schwaebischer Dichterkreis" (1810-1840)...

Schwab Ranking

In the United States, the name Schwab is the 2,522^nd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Schwab is ranked the 4,631^st most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 2

Schwab migration to the United States +

The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from Bavaria who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. For many Bavarian tenant farmers, the chance to own their own land was a major incentive. So the widespread colonization of the United States began in 1650, when many immigrants from Germany settled in pockets in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. In Canada, German settlement centered in Ontario and the prairie provinces. Among those of this surname listed in various historical records were:

Schwab Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Anna Elisabeth Schwab, who arrived in Pennsylvania sometime between 1692 and 1712

Schwab Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Conrad Schwab and Philip Schwab, who both settled in America in 1709
Hans Otta Schwab, who landed in New York in 1709 3
Anna Maria Schwab, who arrived in America in 1720 3
Jost Schwab, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1720 3
Johann Georg Schwab, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1727 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Schwab Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Gustav Schwab, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 3
Louise Schwab, who landed in North America in 1832-1849 3
Joh Christoph Schwab, who arrived in North America in 1832-1849 3
Justus Schwab, who landed in Mississippi in 1836 3
Jonh Adam Schwab, aged 35, who landed in Missouri in 1840 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Schwab Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Alfred John Schwab, who arrived in Wisconsin in 1922 3

Schwab migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Schwab Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Adam Schwab, a Hessian mercenary in the American War for Independence, who was on record in Virginia, Quebec, and Halifax, Nova Scotia in 1780s

Contemporary Notables of the name Schwab (post 1700) +

Howie Schwab (1960-2024), American sports trivia expert and television personality
Eric Schwab, American assistant director, known for his work on Mission: Impossible III (2006), Mission: Impossible (1996 and Valkyrie (2008)
Charles Michael Schwab (1862-1939), American president of the Carnegie Steel Company in 1897, and after World War I was president of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers
Charles R Schwab (b. 1937), American founder and CEO of the Charles Schwab Corporation
Private First Class Albert Earnest Schwab (1920-1945), American soldier awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1945 for his heroic actions during the Battle of Okinawa
Hank Schwab, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Georgia 5th District, 2000 4
Gary Schwab, American politician, Candidate for village President of Oak Park, Illinois, 2009 4
Frank X. Schwab, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from New York 41st District, 1966 4
Frank Schwab, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Ohio, 1928 4
Francis Xavier Schwab (b. 1874), American Republican politician, Mayor of Buffalo, New York, 1922-29 4
... (Another 20 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Schwab family +

Bismarck

Erich Schwab (1921-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 5

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details