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Swets Family History

Swets Name Meaning

Dutch:: patronymic from a nickname for someone with dark hair or a dark complexion from Dutch (Brabantine dialect) zwet Dutch zwart ‘black’. Compare Swart . variant of Van der Zwet a topographic name for someone living near a zwet ‘border’.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: Swett, Sweers, Soens, Suits, Peets, Spees, Smits, Smet, Swetz, Roets

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 Swets family from?

You can see how Swets families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Swets family name was found in the USA, the UK, and Scotland between 1841 and 1920. The most Swets families were found in USA in 1920. In 1880 there were 26 Swets families living in Illinois. This was about 67% of all the recorded Swets's in USA. Illinois had the highest population of Swets families in 1880.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Swets surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Swets ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and House Work were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Swets. 36% of Swets men worked as a Farmer and 67% of Swets women worked as a House Work. Some less common occupations for Americans named Swets were Electrician and Machine Operator. .

View Census Data for Swets | 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

  • Farmer
    36%
  • Laborer
    12%
  • Farm Laborer
    12%
  • Electrician
    8%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

  • House Work
    67%
  • Machine Operator
    34%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Swets family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 1,000 census records available for the last name Swets. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Swets census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search US census records for Swets

Passenger Lists

There are 279 immigration records available for the last name Swets. 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 Swets immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 143 military records available for the last name Swets. For the veterans among your Swets ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Swets military records

You've only scratched the surface of Swets family history

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What is the average Swets lifespan?

Between 1957 and 2004, in the United States, Swets life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1963, and highest in 1989. The average life expectancy for Swets in 1957 was 66, and 69 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Swets

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Swets family tree

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