| ![Show Contents]() Swetnam History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 England The Anglo-Saxon name Swetnam comes from the family having resided in the county of Cheshire, where they held a family seat at Swettenham. The surname Swetnam is a habitation name that was originally derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The surname originated as a means of identifying individuals from a particular area. In the Middle Ages people often assumed the name of the place that they originally lived as their surname during the course of travel. Early Origins of the Swetnam familyThe surname Swetnam was first found in Cheshire at Swettenham, a small village and civil parish. The place name was originally Suetenham in the late 12th century which literally meant "homestead or enclosure of a man called Sweta." 1 Swettenham Hall is a country house located there dating back to the 17th century. The first Saxon Lord of Swettenham, Peter, had his estates confirmed by King William Rufus. Early History of the Swetnam familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Swetnam research. Another 63 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1500, 1577, 1602, 1606, 1617, 1618 and 1622 are included under the topic Early Swetnam History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Swetnam Spelling VariationsSwetnam has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Swettenham, Swetenham, Sweetham, Swetnam and others. Early Notables of the Swetnam familyDistinguished members of the family include - Joseph Swetnam (fl. 1617), called the woman-hater, " he kept a fencing school at Bristol...
- He must be distinguished from his contemporary namesake, Joseph Swetnam, Sweetnam, or Sweetman (1577-1622), a native of Northamptonshire, who entered the Society of Jesus in Portugal in 1606, was sent...
 Swetnam migration to the United States | + |
In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Swetnams to arrive on North American shores:
Swetnam Settlers in United States in the 17th Century- Edward Swetnam, who landed in Maryland in 1671 2
| Contemporary Notables of the name Swetnam (post 1700) | + |
- Robert Swetnam (b. 1962), American professional football player
- Thomas W. Swetnam (b. 1955), American Professor of Dendrochronology
- Joseph Swetnam, English Renaissance author and Jacobean fencing master
- Huw Swetnam, British slalom canoer
| Historic Events for the Swetnam family | + |
- Miss Carman A. Swetnam (1909-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 3
- Mrs. Elizabeth Louise Swetnam (1879-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 3
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: Ex sudore vultus
Motto Translation: By the sweat of the face.
- Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
- 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)
- 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
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Swetnam migration to the United States 
