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Swely Family History

Swely Name Meaning

Historically, surnames evolved as a way to sort people into groups - by occupation, place of origin, clan affiliation, patronage, parentage, adoption, and even physical characteristics (like red hair). Many of the modern surnames in the dictionary can be traced back to Britain and Ireland.


Similar surnames: Seely, Shely, Sully, Oswell, Seeley, Sell, Welz, Sweet, Swamy, Sewell

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

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Where is the Swely family from?

You can see how Swely families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Swely family name was found in the USA between 1840 and 1920. The most Swely families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there was 1 Swely family living in Pennsylvania. This was 100% of all the recorded Swely's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Swely families in 1840.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Swely surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
  • 1840
  • 1880
  • 1920
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What did your Swely ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Laborer was the top reported job for people in the USA named Swely. 50% of Swely men worked as a Laborer. .

View Census Data for Swely | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

  • Laborer
    50%
  • Labor
    50%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Swely family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 209 census records available for the last name Swely. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Swely census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Swely

Passenger Lists

There are 3 immigration records available for the last name Swely. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Swely immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 15 military records available for the last name Swely. For the veterans among your Swely ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Swely military records

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