SCHWARTZ
Schwartz is a surname of German origin that is derived from the German word schwarz, which means “black”. The name was historically used as a descriptive nickname for a person with black or dark hair, a dark complexion, or for someone who worked with black dyes or in occupations associated with the colour black, such as a dyer or a blacksmith.
Schwartz is especially common among Jewish communities. The surname is recorded as being associated with the Hebrew language and the Jewish religion, indicating its use within that cultural group. In addition to its use within German‑speaking populations, variations of the name such as Schwarze, Schwarzer, and Swartz have been found among Jewish families in Europe and the Americas.
Early German and Dutch records document the name in a number of spellings. In the 14th century the surname appears as Werner Swartz (1316, Worms), Thiman Swarte (1350, Greifswald), and Wicboldus dictus Swarte (1356, Barth). The spelling Anne Ursula Schwarz, recorded in the Palatine region of Germany on 16 October 1618, represents a later example from the early modern period. In the United States the name was recorded as early as the late 17th century, with Abagail Swartz (1687, Albany, New York) being noted in the church records.
In the United States the surname attained significant popularity. In 1965 it was calculated to be the 10th most common surname in New York City. The name also appears frequently in the United States census and in the genealogical records of early German and Dutch immigrants.
There are many other forms of the surname found in Europe. In German documents the variants Schwarte, Schwartzer, and Schwar(t)zmann are sometimes encountered. In the Netherlands the name occurs as de Swart, Swarte, or de Zwart. In Poland the spelling Szware is used and in Czechoslovakia the form Svarc appears. Occasionally the surname has served as a prefix in ornamental compounds such as Schwartzkopf and Schwarzchild, though these forms have no literal meaning beyond their decorative use.
The earliest pre‑8th‑century word swarz is the root of the modern German schwarz, and it is clear that the name was originally a descriptive nickname for a person of dark or swarthy appearance. While the historical documents suggest that the designation may have been applied in a nationalistic sense to people of certain ethnic groups, this remains a matter of conjecture and is treated here only as contextual speculation rather than a documented fact.
Typical given names associated with the Schwartz surname
Male
- Christopher
- David
- Gary
- John
- Michael
- Nicholas
- Paul
- Peter
- Richard
- Stephen
- Steven
Female
- Amanda
- Carin
- Deborah
- Esther
- Lisa
- Miriam
- Natalie
- Rachel
- Rebecca
- Rita
- Sarah
- Sheila
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Schwartz in...
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There are approximately 829 people named Schwartz in the UK. That makes it roughly the 8,541st most common surname in Britain. Around 13 in a million people in Britain are named Schwartz.
Religion of origin: Jewish
Language of origin: Hebrew
Famous people named Schwartz
- Ben Schwartz - American actor, comedian and writer
- Matt Schwartz - DJ
- Stefan Schwartz - Director and actor
- Agnes Taylor Rich Hoagland Schwartz - Mormon pioneer (1821 to 1911)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.