# McSwain (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/mcswain/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname from Scottish Gaelic [in turn from Old Norse].

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | Scottish Gaelic |
| Type | occupational, named after the work an ancestor did |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 6,213 |
| US rank (2010) | 5,600 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 49,693 people |
| Change since 2000 | +3.9% (5,980 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Probably an Anglicized form of Scottish Gaelic Mac Suibhne, like McSweeney or a Gaelic patronymic based on Old Norse sveinn (“boy, servant”).

## Who carries it

Share of people named McSwain in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 65% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 30% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.9% |
| Asian and Pacific Islander | 0.3% |
| American Indian and Alaska Native | 0.7% |
| Two or more races | 2.4% |

## Similar surnames

McSweeney, McSween, McGowan, McCain, McShane, McCowan, McEwan, McKain, McShan, McQuain, Mason, McKinney.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.