Swank
An English and German surname linked to a word for being smartly dressed, lively, or stylishly swaggering.
The #4,526 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 39,421 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually treated as a nickname surname. In English dialect use, related forms could describe someone as smart, showy, jolly, or strapping; the excerpt also points to a West Germanic word-family with similar senses of smartness or swagger. In that sense, Swank would have begun as a descriptive label for a person with a noticeable, stylish, or lively manner.
History
The name is found in English-speaking records and also fits a German nickname pattern, so it may have arisen independently in more than one place. In the United States, it is established but not very common, which is consistent with a surname that spread through ordinary family lines rather than through a large single clan. The exact balance between English and German origin can vary by family line.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The word family behind Swank survives in modern English in the adjective "swanky," meaning flashy or stylish.
From the historical record
“Stell. Slell, a still. Sivank. Swank, stately, jolly. A tight, strapping young fellow or girl was called a szva^tkie, or swanker. 207”
— Family Names from the Irish, Anglo-Saxon, Anglo-Norman and Scotch