Swain is an English surname derived from the Old Norse personal name Sveinn (Sven, Sweyn), meaning a youth or young man. There are a number of variations in the spelling of the surname Swain, including Swaine, Swainne and Swayne.
It is also common as a given name in history as Sweyn.
From this word meaning boy, young male or servant, are derived:
- the noun swain, meaning a rustic lover or boyfriend, cf. the numerous examples in Shakespeare's work, including his lyric, "[w]ho is Sylvia, what is she that all our Swains commend her" (from The Two Gentlemen of Verona)
- there are also specific nautical words involving swain: boatswain (literally "young man in charge of a boat") which can be seen in Shakespeare's The Tempest, and coxswain.
Swain is also a surname in Orissa, India.
People with the name include:
- Sweyn, a number of medieval Scandinavian royals
- Bennie Swain, an American professional basketball player
- Brennan Swain, American television star and winner of The Amazing Race
- Brett Swain, multiple
- David Lowry Swain, governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina, 1832-1835
- Diana Swain, Canadian television journalist
- Dominique Swain, American actress
- Gladys Swain, French psychiatrist and writer
- Jon Swain, an award-winning British journalist and writer
- Kenny Swain, retired English footballer
- Louisa Ann Swain, first woman in America to vote in a general election
- Mack Swain, an American actor and vaudevillian
- Paul Swain, New Zealand politician
- Richard Swain, New Zealand rugby league footballer
References
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