Swift Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Swift last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Swift coat of arms for you.
Meaning and origin of the Swift last name
Meaning of the Swift last name: quick, fast. Swift is an English surname, a nickname for a quick runner or a lively, energetic person, from Old English swift, "fast". The last name is common in Lancashire and Yorkshire, and in Ireland it also stands for Gaelic names meaning "fast". Curiously, Jonathan Swift, the author of Gulliver's Travels, was born in Dublin in 1667.
Arms associated with the Swift name
Heraldry associated with the Swift surname uses a few strong colours, and each coat of arms has its own blazon.
Get your full Swift family history
This is only a glimpse of the Swift story. The full Swift history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Swift coat of arms. Get the full Swift report.
Swift name FAQ
What does the Swift name mean?
Quick, fast. Common variants include Swyft.
Where does the Swift surname come from?
It originates in England, and is also found in the United States, Ireland and Australia.
Is there a Swift coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Swift coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: Reaney & Wilson, Dictionary of English Surnames; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).