Surname Swartling - Meaning and Origin
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Swartling: What does the surname Swartling mean?
The surname Swartling is of Scandinavian origin, derived from a trade or occupation. The literal translation of the name is a derivation of the word “svart” which means “dark” or “black”. This likely points to a job that had a dark or black effect, either a blacksmith or a charcoal burner. The name likely means the descendants of someone who did a job of a dark or black color. These ancestral occupations later became a hereditary surname that passed on from generation to generation.
The name Swartling, pronounced “SWOART-ling”, is also found in several other countries, including the United States, Germany, Norway, and Sweden. It is believed that the name originated in Norway in the 13th century, when it was first documented as a “maerker” with a dark or black hue. The maerker was a tax collector who was responsible for collecting taxes from people of a certain region. Later, the name was adopted as a surname by people of different nationalities as they moved across different parts of the world.
More recently, the branches of the Swartling family have spread around the world, adapting the spelling and pronunciation of the name as per their respective countries’ languages. In the United States, the pronunciation has been simplified to SWAHRT-ling.
Today, the name is still associated with the dark or black hue, and the associated occupations that date back centuries. It is a reflective of a long heritage and family line of tradition, and serves as a reminder of the hard work, determination, and persistence of the family members who have passed on the namesake.
Order DNA origin analysisSwartling: Where does the name Swartling come from?
The last name Swartling is most commonly associated with Sweden and the Scandinavian region. It is a name of Swedish origin and is borne by a sizeable minority of Swedes today.
The earliest known record of the surname Swartling is from the late 1700s, when Johannes Swartling was registered in the village of Rat Kisar in Sweden. Today, the surname is still popular in Sweden, particularly in the south of the country. According to Swedish naming conventions, Swartling is not a given name but instead is a patronymic surname derived from the name “Svart”, which means black or dark.
Over time, the name Swartling has spread to other countries and other parts of the world. It is now common in the United States and Canada, as well as in other European countries such as the United Kingdom, Germany, and France.
Swartling is a common name, with over 11,000 people bearing the surname in Sweden, and between 5000-7000 people in the US. While the name is not particularly common elsewhere, it is still a well-known name in Scandinavia and Sweden.
Variations of the surname Swartling
The surname Swartling has a variety of spellings, variants, and surnames of the same origin. It can be spelled Swartling, Swartlin, Swartlinge, Swartlingh, Swartlingk, Swatable, Swartlick, Swartlinge, Swartlein, Swartline, Schwartling, Swartzling, Svartling, and Svartlien.
Swartling is believed to be of Swedish origin. It first appeared in medieval records in the late 12th century, and is believed to be a topographic name referring to people who lived near a black, swarthy or dark grove, or someone who was swarthy or swarty in complexion. Swartling can also be a habitational name, belonging to someone who resided in a house with a sign of a black bird.
The earliest documentation of the name Swartling comes from Långsele parish, near Ånge in east-central Sweden, in 1684 when Gabriel Swartling was listed in the rolls of the parish vicar. The name is now well distributed throughout Sweden, as well as other countries like Denmark, the Netherlands, Norway, Poland, as well as New Zealand, Australia, and the United States.
Variations of the name Swartling include Swartzling, Svartling, and Swartlin. These spellings may have been used to differentiate from neighboring families with similar names.
Famous people with the name Swartling
- Emma Swartling, Swedish professional tennis player
- Jonas Swartling, Swedish football player
- Rolf Swartling, Swedish sprint canoer
- Jessica Swartling, Swedish modern pentathlete
- Sam Swartling, American professional golfer
- Axel Swartling, Former Governor of Östergötland County, Sweden
- Lukas Swartling, Swedish modern pentathlete
- Ulf Swartling, Swedish chess player
- Rolf Swartling, former Deputy Chief of Swedish Air Force,
- John Swartling, Canadian former professional ice hockey player
- David Swartling, Canadian former professional ice hockey player
- Inger Swartling, Swedish screenwriter for films and TV series
- Thomas Peter Swartling, Swedish courtier
- Alexander Swartling, Swedish Member of Parliament
- Malena Swartling, Swedish ski mountaineer
- Frans Swartling, Swedish Olympic canoeist
- Bart Swartling, American attorney and founding partner of Anton, Collins, Mitchell LLP
- Kent Swartling, American television producer
- Jesse Swartling, American former trial lawyer
- Artur Swartling, Swedish motorcycle racer