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Sweet Family History

Sweet Surname Meaning

English (Somerset): from the Middle English personal name Swet(e) (Old English Swēt(a) (male) Swēte (female)) or else a nickname from Middle English swet(e) sweyt ‘sweet; pleasing; beloved; attractive’ (Old English swēte swōt) from which the personal names derive.

Compare Swett. Americanized form (translation into English) of German and Jewish (Ashkenazic) Suess and French Ledoux ‘the gentle the sweet’.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Sweet family from?

You can see how Sweet families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Sweet family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Sweet families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 546 Sweet families living in Somerset. This was about 20% of all the recorded Sweet's in United Kingdom. Somerset had the highest population of Sweet families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Sweet surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Sweet ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Sweet. 12% of Sweet men worked as a General Labourer and 72% of Sweet women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Sweet were Dairy Farmer and Housewife.

View Census Data for Sweet | 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 1939

  • General Labourer
    12%
  • Builders Labourer
    5%
  • Carpenter
    5%
  • Dairy Farmer
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    72%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Domestic Servant
    2%
  • Housewife
    2%

What Sweet family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 232,000 census records available for the last name Sweet. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Sweet census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Sweet

Passenger Lists

There are 16,000 immigration records available for the last name Sweet. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Sweet immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 39,000 military records available for the last name Sweet. For the veterans among your Sweet ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Sweet military records

You've only scratched the surface of Sweet family history

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What is the average Sweet lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Sweet life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1948, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Sweet in 1941 was 53, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Sweet

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Sweet ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

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