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The history of the Swyers family name begins after the Norman Conquest of 1066. They lived at Swyre in Dorset. The surname Swyers was originally derived from the Old English word "swoera" which means a "neck of land" or in other words, one who lives at the neck of land. 1
Today Swyre is a coastal parish in Dorset, 6 miles south-east from Bridport 2 and dates back to the Domesday Book where it was listed as Suere. 3
Interestingly, the Index of the Calendar of the Patent Rolls (1446-1452) Henry VI v.5. notes that Swyer was a variant of Squyer and further notes in the May 22 entry for Westminster 'gentilman' alias 'squyer,' so one could presume that the name was as many believe an early from the word 'squire' or 'gentleman.'
Furthermore, the same source notes that on November 13th in 1449, John Squyer of Notyngham (Nottingham) appeared before the court "and his fellows by the name John Swyer to answer..." questions about his debt to Alexander Galyard. The same source notes at least four more entries for the Squyer spelling.
The surname Swyers was first found in Dorset at Swyre where they were descended from William d'Eu, Count of Eu, who was undertenant in Wiltshire and held the lands of Swyre (Latin: Tempore Regis Edwardi, English: during the reign of King Edward the Confessor) before the Norman Conquest in 1066. William of Swyre held those lands in 1086 at the taking of the Domesday Survey. 3
Other early records include Geoffrey le Swyer who was listed in the Hundredorum Rolls of Nottinghamshire in 1275 and John Swyer who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire in 1297. 4
Years later, the Yorkshire Poll Tax records of 1379 listed: Ricardus Sqwyer; Thomas Swyer and Willelmus Swyer. 5
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Swyers research. Another 173 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1400, 1523, 1533, 1706 and 1825 are included under the topic Early Swyers History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Anglo-Norman names are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. When the Normans became the ruling people of England in the 11th century, they introduced a new language into a society where the main languages of Old and later Middle English had no definite spelling rules. These languages were more often spoken than written, so they blended freely with one another. Contributing to this mixing of tongues was the fact that medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, ensuring that a person's name would appear differently in nearly every document in which it was recorded. The name has been spelled Swyre, Svere, Swyer, Swyre, Swire, Squyer and others.
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Swyers Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
In Newfoundland, Canada, the name Swyers is the 708th most popular surname with an estimated 61 people with that name. 6
For many English families, the political and religious disarray that plagued their homeland made the frontiers of the New World an attractive prospect. Thousands migrated, aboard cramped disease-ridden ships. They arrived sick, poor, and hungry, but were welcomed in many cases with far greater opportunity than at home in England. Many of these hardy settlers went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Among early immigrants bearing the name Swyers or a variant listed above were: