NameCensus.

UK surname

Swire

An English surname derived from the Old English word "swor" meaning neck or slope.

In the 1881 census there were 302 people recorded with the Swire surname, ranking it #9,673 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 389, ranked #12,109, down from #9,673 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Rochdale, Glossop and Bingley. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Shropshire, Kensington and Chelsea and Westminster.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Swire is 438 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 28.8%.

1881 census count

302

Ranked #9,673

Modern count

389

2016, ranked #12,109

Peak year

1911

438 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Swire had 302 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #9,673 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 389 in 2016, ranked #12,109.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 438 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Diverse Educated Urban Singles.

Swire surname distribution map

The map shows where the Swire surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Swire surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Swire over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 174 #11,590
1861 historical 189 #12,570
1881 historical 302 #9,673
1891 historical 327 #10,379
1901 historical 385 #9,730
1911 historical 438 #8,684
1997 modern 351 #12,145
1998 modern 353 #12,470
1999 modern 355 #12,478
2000 modern 355 #12,430
2001 modern 341 #12,588
2002 modern 345 #12,754
2003 modern 341 #12,655
2004 modern 341 #12,673
2005 modern 356 #12,219
2006 modern 363 #12,123
2007 modern 373 #12,005
2008 modern 370 #12,182
2009 modern 359 #12,714
2010 modern 380 #12,462
2011 modern 378 #12,363
2012 modern 362 #12,615
2013 modern 385 #12,270
2014 modern 393 #12,168
2015 modern 381 #12,345
2016 modern 389 #12,109

Geography

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Where Swires are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Rochdale, Glossop, Bingley, Bradford and Keighley. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Shropshire, Kensington and Chelsea, Westminster and South Ribble. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 Rochdale Lancashire
2 Glossop Derbyshire
3 Bingley Yorkshire, West Riding
4 Bradford Yorkshire, West Riding
5 Keighley Yorkshire, West Riding

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Shropshire 005 Shropshire
2 Kensington and Chelsea 012 Kensington and Chelsea
3 Shropshire 029 Shropshire
4 Westminster 022 Westminster
5 South Ribble 011 South Ribble

Forenames

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First names often paired with Swire

These lists show first names that appear often with the Swire surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Swire

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Swire, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Multicultural and Educated Urbanites

Group

Diverse Educated Urban Singles

Nationally, the Swire surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Diverse Educated Urban Singles, within Multicultural and Educated Urbanites. This does not mean every Swire household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group includes many never-married individuals not living with dependent children. Many were born in EU countries and are now aged between 25-44. This Group is characterised by its ethnic group diversity, although those identifying as Asian are not well represented. Affiliation with the Christian religion amongst residents is low. Reported disability rates are low. Neighbourhoods include some central locations in London and other major cities. Private renting is the norm, and there is some overcrowding. Many individuals are educated to degree level, and full-time employment is common, particularly in managerial and professional occupations.

Wider pattern

Established populations comprising ethnic minorities together with persons born outside the UK predominate in this Supergroup. Residents present diverse personal characteristics and circumstances: while generally well-educated and practising skilled occupations, some residents live in overcrowded rental sector housing. English may not be the main language used by people in this Group. Although the typical adult resident is middle aged, single person households are common and marriage rates are low by national standards. This Supergroup predominates in Inner London, with smaller enclaves in many other densely populated metropolitan areas.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles

Group

European Enclaves

Within London, Swire is most associated with areas classed as European Enclaves, part of Professional Employment and Family Lifecycles. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

Many residents of these accessible neighbourhoods have wide-ranging non-UK European origins. Typically residing in privately rented flats, many residents live alone and are beyond normal retirement age. There are more students than elsewhere in the Supergroup, some of which live in communal establishments. Household residents are often drawn from different ethnic groups.

Wider London pattern

These neighbourhoods house people of all ages, predominantly of White British or European extraction. Resident turnover is low. Religious affiliation is less common than average and tends to be Christian if expressed. Homeownership, typically of terraced houses, is common but use of the social rented sector is not. Employment is typically in professional, managerial and associate professional or technical occupations. There are few full-time students. Level 4 qualifications are common. More households lack dependent children than have them which, considered alongside low levels of crowding and over-all age structure, indicates that many households may be post child-rearing and in late middle age. Incidence of disability is low, as is residence in communal establishments.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Swire is most concentrated in decile 10 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname towards the healthier end of the index.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

10
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Swire falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Swire is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - British

This describes the area pattern most associated with Swire, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Swire

The surname SWIRE is of English origin, originating in the 17th century. The name is believed to be derived from the Old English word "swira," meaning "neck" or "throat," possibly referring to a physical characteristic or occupation.

SWIRE is thought to have first emerged in the counties of Yorkshire and Lincolnshire in northern England. Early variations of the spelling included Swyre, Swire, and Swyere. The name may have initially been a nickname or occupational surname for someone involved in the textile industry, such as a thread or yarn maker.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the SWIRE surname is found in the Hearth Tax Rolls of 1672, which list a John Swire residing in the village of Epworth, Lincolnshire. This document provides valuable insight into the name's early presence in the region.

The SWIRE name also appears in the Yorkshire Parish Registers of the late 17th and early 18th centuries, indicating its spread throughout northern England. Notable individuals with this surname include William Swire (1792-1847), a British merchant and entrepreneur who established a successful trading business in East Asia.

Another prominent figure was John Samuel Swire (1825-1898), a shipowner and founder of the Swire Group, one of the largest British companies operating in Asia. His descendants played a significant role in the expansion of the family business, establishing it as a leading conglomerate.

The SWIRE surname can also be found in historical records from the 19th century, such as the 1841 Census of England and Wales, which lists several families bearing this name in various parts of the country.

Other notable individuals with the SWIRE surname include Sir John Lancelot Swire (1862-1933), a British businessman and philanthropist, and Sir John Kemp-Welch (1907-1997), a British politician and member of the SWIRE family.

Throughout its history, the SWIRE surname has been associated with various professions, including merchants, shipowners, entrepreneurs, and industrialists, particularly in the context of British trade and commerce with Asia.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Swire families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Swire surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Yorkshire leads with 117 Swires recorded in 1881 and an index of 4.05x.

County Total Index
Yorkshire 117 4.05x
Lancashire 104 3.00x
Middlesex 15 0.51x
Derbyshire 14 3.07x
Flintshire 14 17.86x
Cheshire 8 1.24x
Essex 8 1.39x
Nottinghamshire 8 2.03x
Carmarthenshire 5 4.07x
Kent 3 0.30x
Hampshire 1 0.17x
Norfolk 1 0.22x
Wiltshire 1 0.39x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Keighley in Yorkshire leads with 21 Swires recorded in 1881 and an index of 68.16x.

Place Total Index
Keighley 21 68.16x
Bingley 18 97.77x
Burnley 17 58.32x
Glossop Dale 14 65.48x
Manningham 12 33.70x
Thornton In Craven 10 431.03x
Wuerdle Wardle 10 95.15x
Haslingden 9 62.81x
Hope 9 230.77x
Carlton In Skipton 8 473.37x
Cheetham 8 31.00x
Elston 8 1739.13x
Ashton Under Lyne 7 9.25x
Colne 7 67.90x
Denton 7 91.26x
Mirfield 7 44.11x
Richmond 6 132.74x
Skipton 6 65.93x
Great Little Marsden 5 31.55x
Mold 5 70.32x
North Meols 5 14.76x
Pembrey 5 88.50x
St Marylebone London 5 3.21x
West Ham 5 3.93x
Accrington 4 12.71x
Congleton 4 35.97x
Oldham 4 3.58x
Salford 4 3.93x
Skircoat 4 35.09x
St George Hanover 4 10.51x
Chigwell 3 55.25x
Dukinfield 3 10.08x
Glusburn 3 184.05x
Sandal Magna 3 70.26x
Trawden 3 138.25x
Westhoughton 3 32.47x
Bowling 2 6.99x
Cartworth 2 83.68x
Horton In Bradford 2 4.43x
Kirkdale 2 3.44x
Leeds 2 1.23x
Moss Side 2 10.98x
Otley 2 28.49x
Royton 2 18.89x
Salterforth 2 512.82x
Whitcliffe Cum Thorpe 2 769.23x
Birkdale 1 11.42x
Bishopton 1 1000.00x
Bradford 1 1.43x
Bradleys Both 1 196.08x
Broughton In Salford 1 3.16x
Chatham 1 3.65x
Compton Bassett 1 270.27x
Elslack 1 1250.00x
Fareham 1 13.93x
Gillingham 1 4.87x
Hackney London 1 0.61x
Hampstead London 1 2.20x
Hulme 1 1.38x
Islington London 1 0.35x
Morton In Keighley 1 44.05x
Paddington London 1 0.93x
St Faith Under St 1 588.24x
Tonbridge 1 2.79x
Tottenham 1 2.15x
Toxteth Park 1 0.85x
Tranmere 1 4.23x
Weasenham St Peter 1 370.37x
Whittingham 1 65.79x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Swire surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 23
Annie 9
Hannah 9
Sarah 9
Elizabeth 8
Martha 8
Jane 6
Emily 5
Ann 4
Alice 3
Charlotte 3
Ellen 3
Anne 2
Clara 2
Eleanor 2
Fanny 2
Isabella 2
Mabel 2
Margaret 2
Maria 2
Maud 2
Minnie 2
Annette 1
Blanche 1
Caroline 1
Constance 1
Daisy 1
Dinah 1
Edith 1
Eley 1
Elisabeth 1
Eliza 1
Elizth. 1
Emma 1
Esther 1
Florence 1
Gertrude 1
Henrietta 1
Hilda 1
Hrriet 1
Isabell 1
Joyce 1
Kettie 1
Keziah 1
Lilian 1
Lizzie 1
Louisa 1
Lydia 1
Marian 1
May 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Swire surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
William 19
John 18
Henry 12
Thomas 12
Samuel 7
Hezekiah 6
Harry 5
Frederick 4
Arthur 3
Charles 3
James 3
Jonas 3
Benjamin 2
David 2
Edward 2
Ernest 2
George 2
Herbert 2
Percy 2
Thos. 2
Walter 2
Anthony 1
Archie 1
Austin 1
Boyer 1
Clifford 1
Douglas 1
Edmund 1
Edwin 1
Francis 1
Frank 1
Fred 1
Geoffry 1
Godwin 1
Jakes 1
Jesse 1
Joseph 1
Jude 1
Levi 1
Lockwood 1
Lot 1
Norman 1
Reginald 1
Robert 1
Robinson 1
Roger 1
Sam 1
Saul 1
Stanley 1
Stanton 1

FAQ

Swire surname: questions and answers

How common was the Swire surname in 1881?

In 1881, 302 people were recorded with the Swire surname. That placed it at #9,673 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Swire surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 389 in 2016. That gives Swire a modern rank of #12,109.

What does the Swire surname mean?

An English surname derived from the Old English word "swor" meaning neck or slope.

What does the Swire map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Swire bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.