Family name origins & meanings
- English (Yorkshire) : from Middle English swal(e)we, swalu ‘swallow’, hence a nickname for someone thought to resemble the bird, perhaps in swiftness and grace.
- English (Yorkshire) : habitational name from a place in Lincolnshire, so called from the Swallow river on which it stands. The river name is probably ultimately akin to that of the bird, with some transferred meaning such as ‘swirling’ or ‘rushing’.