The Swisher surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 9,431 people carried this name — #3,754 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 31,300 people counted. That is up 1% from 9,360 in 2000.

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Where the name comes from

The origin of the Swisher surname

Americanized form of German Schweitzer.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Swisher» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

22 families named Swisher, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 146 people lived in those households, 6.6 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Pennsylvania 7
Virginia 7
Maine 4
Massachusetts 3
New York 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 264 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Swisher in American newspapers,
1905–1909.

Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Swisher
Evening Star 1908-05-17
Newspaper page from Evening Star carrying the name Swisher
Evening Star 1909-11-21
Newspaper page from The Washington Times carrying the name Swisher
The Washington Times 1905-07-25

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Swisher in Australian newspapers,
1920s–1930s.

66 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Swisher. The most, 44, date from the 1930s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Western Australia, at 4.6 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Western Australia 31
New South Wales 14
Queensland 12
South Australia 6
ACT (Canberra) 1
Tasmania 1
Victoria 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Swisher.

Who carried it

People named Swisher,
with a public archive behind them.

  • James Gibson Swisher 1794–1862
  • Mary V. Swisher 1845–1914
  • Laura Swisher 1901– · comedian
  • Bob Swisher 1914–1979 · American football player
  • Charles Wesley Swisher 1916– · writer
  • Perry Swisher 1923–

Wikidata (CC0) · 7 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Swisher,
in the records of the United States.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States549 records

549 records of the Swisher name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 342
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 157
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 26
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 8
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 7
  • U.S. service members who died in the Korean War 5
  • U.S. service members who died in the Vietnam War 3
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 1
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Gerald J. Swisher

    Born 1922 in Ohio. Enlisted 1943 at Huntington, West Virginia; farm hand from Gallia County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1999, buried at Meigs Memory Gardens, Middleport, Ohio.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record James Allen Swisher

    Born 1931; from Minneapolis, Minnesota. U.S. Marine Corps; died in an accident 1951 in Korea. Buried at Fort Snelling National Cemetery, Minnesota.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Charles Edward Swisher

    U.S. Marine Corps veteran of World War I. Born 1884, died 1956; buried at Golden Gate National Cemetery, California.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 549 records for Swisher in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Swisher.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Swisher is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Swisher volume
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