Swyft History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland
Scotland

The name Swyft is rooted in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It was a name for someone who was a person who because of his physical abilities was referred to as swifte, which was an Old English word used to denote one who was quick, typically "speed of foot." 1 This was a name often given to a messenger or courier. 2 A broad and miscellaneous class of surnames, nickname surnames referred to a characteristic of the first person who used the name. They can describe the bearer's favored style of clothing, appearance, habits, or character.

One source notes that the name may be "local, from Swift, a river of England." 3 4

Early Origins of the Swyft family

The surname Swyft was first found in Norfolk where the mononym Suift was recorded in the Pipe Rolls of 1166. Years later, Nicholaus filius Swift was listed in the Curia Regis Rolls of 1222 and William Swift was found in the Pipe Rolls for Hampshire in 1167 and in the Assize Rolls for Yorkshire in 1219. 5 The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 proved the widespread use of the name: Matilda Swyft, Cambridgeshire; Roger Swyft, Buckinghamshire; and Arnulph Swyft, Norfolk. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 included an entry for Henricus Swyft. 6

Pointing to the occupational nature of the name, the source Issues of the Exchequer, edited by Frederick Devon includes an entry for Ralph Swyft, courier to Edward III.

"The name of Swift is also established in Derbyshire, the West Riding, and Nottinghamshire. In the 13th century there were Swifts and Swyfts in Derbyshire, Bucks, Cambridgeshire, Norfolk, and Suffolk." 7

To the north in Scotland, the "family of this name were burgesses of Edinburgh, and the chartulary of St. Giles contains frequent notices of them in the time of James II. John Swyft was burgess of Edinburgh in 1427." 8

Early History of the Swyft family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Swyft research. Another 109 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1478, 1534, 1599, 1627, 1634, 1640, 1667, 1707, 1713, 1726, 1734, 1736, 1739, 1745, 1746, 1754, 1783 and 1815 are included under the topic Early Swyft History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Swyft Spelling Variations

Swyft 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. Many variations of the name Swyft have been found, including Swift, Swifte, Swyft, Swyfte and others.

Early Notables of the Swyft family

Distinguished members of the family include Robert Swift (1534?-1599), Chancellor of Durham, born at Rotherham about 1534, belonged to a Yorkshire family settled there; and Jonathan Swift (1640-1667), English father of Jonathon Swift, the satirist. Jonathan Swift (1667-1745), Dean of St. Patrick's and satirist, son of Jonathan Swift, by Abigail (Erick) of Leicester, was born at 7 Hoey's Court, Dublin, on 30 Nov. 1667 (a drawing of the house, now destroyed, is in Wilde's Closing Years of Swift's Life, p. 89). The elder Jonathan was a younger son of Thomas Swift, vicar of Goodrich, near Ross, by Elizabeth (Dryden), niece of...
Another 215 words (15 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Swyft Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Swyft family to Ireland

Some of the Swyft family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 102 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Swyft 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 Swyfts to arrive on North American shores:

Swyft Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

William Swyft, who landed in Watertown, Massachusetts in 1630 9

The Swyft Motto +

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: Festina lente
Motto Translation: Be quick without impetuosity.

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
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)