Swainson
/ˈsweɪnsən/noun
A surname of English origin, meaning 'son of Swain.'
Did you know?Swainson comes from the Old Norse personal name *Sveinn*, meaning 'boy' or 'servant,' which later became an English surname through the patronymic suffix *-son*.
Etymological Timeline
Old Norse
ON
Sveinn
“boy; young man; servant”
Old English / Middle English
EN
swain
“a young man, attendant, or lover; later a rural servant or farmhand”
Middle English
EN
Swain
“a personal name and nickname derived from swain”
Middle English
EN
Swainson
“son of Swain”
Modern English
EN
Swainson
“an English surname”