An English, Scottish and Swedish surname, the Swanson family name originated from Old English term of ‘swon’ which meant graceful and pure. A Middle English term of ‘swain’ referred to a herdsman of animals, especially pigs. The Swedish form of Swanson can be Svensson. It is also in the Danish and Norwegian language as Svensen and Svendsen. Spellings variations for the Swanson name include Swainson, Swenson, Swainston, Swanston, Swenson and Swenston.

In England the early Swanson families were in the region of Durham and many moved into Scotland over the years. They resettled in the Midlothian area and many used the spelling of ‘Swainston’.
The counties of Northumberland, Durham, Yorkshire, Lancashire, Essex and in the city of London have the greater numbers of Swenson families in England. In Scotland up in the northern region of Caithness has the highest percentage of Swanson families, along with numerous families all across Scotland.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, many Swanson families from Sweden came to the New Sweden colony to settled. New Sweden was along the Delaware River in the mid-Atlantic region. The Swanson settlers came to develop the area that would later be Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.

Many Swanson families within the United States live in Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Illinois, Iowa, Nebraska, Washington, New York, Pennsylvania and California.

Famous: Gloria Swanson (actress), Riley Swanson (professional football player), Steven Swanson (U. S. astronaut), Howard Swanson (music composer), Kristy Swanson (actress), John August Swanson (artist) and Ernest Evar Swanson (baseball and football player).