| ![Show Contents]() Swab History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
- Origins Available:
 Germany The Swab surname first began to be used in the German state of Bavaria, some time after the 12th century, when hereditary surnames were adopted according to fairly general rules, and names that were derived from locations became particularly common. The family name Swab 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 Swab 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 Swab familyThe surname Swab 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 Swab familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Swab 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 Swab History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Swab Spelling VariationsOne can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Swab include Schwab, Schwabe, Schwabel, Schwebel, Swab and others. Early Notables of the Swab familyAnother 39 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Swab Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
 Swab 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:
Swab Settlers in United States in the 18th Century- Hans Jorig Swab, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1727 1
- Pieter Swab, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1735 1
- Hendk Swab, aged 18, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748 1
- Jurg Michael Swab, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1755 1
Swab Settlers in United States in the 19th Century- Joseph Swab, aged 26, who landed in Missouri in 1841 1
- 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)
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Swab migration to the United States 
