Swain (name)
Encyclopedia
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:
People with the name include:
English people
The English are a nation and ethnic group native to England, who speak English. The English identity is of early mediaeval origin, when they were known in Old English as the Anglecynn. England is now a country of the United Kingdom, and the majority of English people in England are British Citizens...
surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
derived from the Old Norse
Old Norse
Old Norse is a North Germanic language that was spoken by inhabitants of Scandinavia and inhabitants of their overseas settlements during the Viking Age, until about 1300....
personal name
Personal name
A personal name is the proper name identifying an individual person, and today usually comprises a given name bestowed at birth or at a young age plus a surname. It is nearly universal for a human to have a name; except in rare cases, for example feral children growing up in isolation, or infants...
Sveinn (Sven
Sven
Sven is a Nordic first name which is used throughout Scandinavia, Estonia and Germany. The name itself is Old Norse for "Young man" or "Young warrior." The original spelling in Old Norse was sveinn...
, Sweyn), meaning a youth
Youth
Youth is the time of life between childhood and adulthood . Definitions of the specific age range that constitutes youth vary. An individual's actual maturity may not correspond to their chronological age, as immature individuals could exist at all ages.-Usage:Around the world, the terms "youth",...
or young man
Boy
A boy is a young male human , as contrasted to its female counterpart, girl, or an adult male, a man.The term "boy" is primarily used to indicate biological sex distinctions, cultural gender role distinctions or both...
. 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 swainSwainSwain may refer to:In people:* Swain In places:* Swain County, North Carolina, USA* Swain's Island , Canada* Swains Island, an atoll in the Tokelau chain, the most northwesterly island administered by American Samoa...
, 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 VeronaThe Two Gentlemen of VeronaThe Two Gentlemen of Verona is a comedy by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1590 or 1591. It is considered by some to be Shakespeare's first play, and is often seen as his first tentative steps in laying out some of the themes and tropes with which he would later deal in more...
). - There are also specific nautical words involving swain: boatswainBoatswainA boatswain , bo's'n, bos'n, or bosun is an unlicensed member of the deck department of a merchant ship. The boatswain supervises the other unlicensed members of the ship's deck department, and typically is not a watchstander, except on vessels with small crews...
(literally "young man in charge of a boat") which can be seen in Shakespeare's The TempestThe TempestThe Tempest is a play by William Shakespeare, believed to have been written in 1610–11, and thought by many critics to be the last play that Shakespeare wrote alone. It is set on a remote island, where Prospero, the exiled Duke of Milan, plots to restore his daughter Miranda to her rightful place,...
, and coxswainCoxswainThe coxswain is the person in charge of a boat, particularly its navigation and steering. The etymology of the word gives us a literal meaning of "boat servant" since it comes from cox, a coxboat or other small vessel kept aboard a ship, and swain, which can be rendered as boy, in authority. ...
.
People with the name include:
- Sweyn, a number of medieval Scandinavian royals
- Bennie SwainBennie SwainBennie S. Swain was an American professional basketball player.A 6'8" forward/center, Swain played at Texas Southern University in the 1950s. He led the nation in scoring during the 1957-58 season and was named an All-American. After graduating, Swain was selected by the Boston Celtics with the...
, an American professional basketball player - Brennan Swain, an American television star and winner of The Amazing Race
- Brett Swain (disambiguation)
- Danny!Danny!Danny!, also known as D. Swain , is an American rap performer and record producer from Columbia, South Carolina, a former student of the Savannah College of Art & Design and, previously, a recording artist for Definitive Jux Records. L.A. Weekly has called Danny! "the best new artist that Def Jux...
, an American rap performer and record producer from Columbia, South Carolina - David Lowry SwainDavid Lowry SwainDavid Lowry Swain was the 26th Governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina from 1832 to 1835.-Biography:Swain was born in Buncombe County, North Carolina; his father, George Swain, was a farmer and a member of the North Carolina General Assembly...
, a governor of the U.S. state of North Carolina in 1832-1835 - Diana SwainDiana SwainDiana Swain is a television journalist with the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation . She has been the host of CBC News At Six, CBC Toronto's local nightly newscast, since September 2004...
, a Canadian television journalist - Dominique SwainDominique SwainDominique Ariane Swain is an American actress. She is best known for her roles as the title character in the 1997 film adaptation of Vladimir Nabokov's novel Lolita, and as Jamie Archer in the film Face/Off.- Early life :...
, an American actress - Gladys SwainGladys SwainGladys Swain was a French psychiatrist who is remembered today for her books about the history of Psychiatry and her critique of the views of Michel Foucault on the changing attitudes towards madness in western civilization....
, a French psychiatrist and writer - Jon SwainJon SwainJon Anketell Brewer Swain is an award-winning British journalist and writer who was portrayed by Julian Sands in the 1984 Oscar-winning film The Killing Fields...
, an award-winning British journalist and writer - Kenny SwainKenny SwainKenny Swain is a retired English footballer who played in numerous positions, including striker, midfielder and full back.-Football career:...
, a retired English football player - Louisa Ann SwainLouisa Ann SwainLouisa Gardner Swain was the first woman to vote in a general election in the United States. She voted on September 6, 1870, in Laramie, Wyoming.-Biography:...
, the first woman in America to vote in a general election - Mack SwainMack SwainMack Swain was an American actor and vaudevillian, prolific throughout the 1910s, 1920s and 1930s.-Film career:...
, an American actor and vaudevillian - Paul SwainPaul SwainPaul Desmond Swain, QSO is a New Zealand politician. He is a member of the Labour Party.-Early life:Swain was born in Palmerston North on 20 December 1951. He attended St. Patrick's College in Wellington...
, a New Zealand politician - Richard SwainRichard SwainRichard Swain is a retired professional rugby league footballer of the 1990s and 2000s. A New Zealand international representative Hooker, he played club football in Australia for the Hunter Mariners, Melbourne Storm and Brisbane Broncos and in England for Hull.-Early years:Swain went to Farrer...
, a New Zealand rugby league football player - Tony Swain (musician), a successful pop musician, songwriting
- Ronald Thomas Swain, SGT United States Army, Operation Iraqi Freedom 2007-2009
- Edward Swain, Exeter University Mens Hockey Club, Member of the Season 2010-2011