Sowards
An English surname meaning “swine-herd” or “pig keeper,” from an old occupational byname.
The #9,503 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 90,276 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally explained as a form of the old occupational name for a swineherd: Middle English sowherd, from Old English sū, “sow,” plus hēord, “herd, keeper.” The ending has been worn down over time, producing forms like Soward and Sowards. In sense, it originally meant someone who tended pigs or swine on a farm or common.
History
Bardsley notes Sowards alongside other animal-related occupational surnames and treats it as a surviving form of the older word for “swineherd.” Like many medieval bynames, it likely began as a job-description and later became hereditary. The modern surname is comparatively uncommon and appears mainly in English-speaking countries, especially the United States and Britain.
Origin
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Fun fact
The same old occupation also survives in surnames such as Hoggart and Swinnart, which Bardsley groups with Sowards as rustic English forms.
From the historical record
“pathways where the beech-nuts abound. There, too, the herd was to be found, for in our * Swinnarts,' ' Hoggarts,' and ' Sowards ' we are not without a further token of his usefulness. In three instances I have found ' herd ' connected with the winged creation. In the Parliameniaiy Writs occurs ' Wil- liam le…”
— English Surnames: their sources and significations