Swete History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The history of the name Swete begins in the days of the Anglo-Saxon tribes in 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 Swete family

The surname Swete 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 Swete family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Swete 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 Swete History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Swete Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, early Anglo-Saxon surnames like Swete are characterized by many spelling variations. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages, even literate people changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Swete include: Sweit, Sweet, Swete, Sweete, Sweett and others.

Early Notables of the Swete family

Distinguished members of the family include

Lewis Swete, English clergyman, canon of Exeter in 1583, the Archdeacon of Totnes in 1583

Migration of the Swete family to Ireland

Some of the Swete 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.

Swete 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:

Swete Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Arthur L. Swete, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aloe" in 1863
Maria Swete, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aloe" in 1863
Richard L. Swete, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Aloe" in 1863

Contemporary Notables of the name Swete (post 1700) +

Henry Barclay Swete (1835-1917), English Biblical scholar, Regius Professor of Divinity at Cambridge in 1890
Rev. John Swete (1752-1821), born John Tripe, a British clergyman, artist, antiquary, historian and topographer from Devon

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.