Contents [hide]

Sweetland History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Sweetland History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Etymology of Sweetland

What does the name Sweetland mean?

The name Sweetland first arose amongst the Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. It is derived from their having lived in the area that was referred to as Sweetland found in the county of Devon. The surname Sweetland is a habitation name that was originally derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. The surname originated as a means of identifying individuals from a particular area. In the Middle Ages people often assumed the name of the place that they originally lived as their surname during the course of travel. As a general rule, the greater the distance between an individual and their homeland, the larger the territory they were named after. For example, a person who only moved to another parish would be known by the name of their original village, while people who migrated to a different country were often known by the name of a region or country from which they came.

Early Origins of the Sweetland family

The surname Sweetland was first found in Devon where from ancient times they held Sweetland's Farm, a name which would later become a surname and a place name in Devon. 1

Another source presumes that the name could have been from Swithland, a parish, in the union of Barrow-upon-Soar, hundred of West Goscote,in Leicestershire. 2

Early History of the Sweetland family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sweetland research. Another 51 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sweetland History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sweetland Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Sweetland has appeared include Sweetland, Swithland and others.

Early Notables of the Sweetland family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

David Sweetland of Devon

Sweetland Ranking

In Newfoundland, Canada, the name Sweetland is the 6,890^th most popular surname with an estimated 63 people with that name. 3

Sweetland migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Sweetland arrived in North America very early:

Sweetland Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

William Sweetland, who settled in Caplin Bay in 1815
J. Sweetland arrived in San Francisco, California in 1852

Sweetland migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sweetland Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Henry Sweetland, who settled in St. John's, Newfoundland in 1787 4
William Sweetland settled at English Harbour in 1790
Henry Sweetland, who settled in Ferryland, Newfoundland and was a Justice of the Peace, in 1790 4

Sweetland Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Edward Sweetland, who settled in Carbonear in 1802
Benjamin Sweetland settled at Trinity Bay, Newfoundland in 1837 4

Sweetland migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Sweetland Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

James Sweetland, English convict from Devon, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 5
John Sweetland, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Recovery" in 1839 6

Sweetland migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Sweetland Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William C. Sweetland, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "May Queen" arriving in Tauranga, Bay of Plenty, North Island, New Zealand on 16th December 1881 7

Contemporary Notables of the name Sweetland (post 1700) +

Monroe Mark Sweetland (1910-2006), American politician from Salem, Oregon, Member of the Oregon Senate (1955-1963), Member of the Oregon House of Representatives (1953-1955)
Lester Leo "Les" Sweetland (1901-1974), American professional baseball pitcher in the Major Leagues from 1927 to 1931
Frederick Greenhalge "Fred" Sweetland (1893-1958), American professional football player for the Akron Pros and the New York Brickley Giants (1920-1921)
Douglas "Doug" Sweetland, American Academy Award nominated animator and director who worked for Pixar Animation (1994-2009), known for his work on Toy Story (1995), A Bug's Life (1998), Toy Story 2 (1999) and many more
Dale A. Sweetland (b. 1949), American Republican politician from Fabius, New York 8
John B. Sweetland, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 4th District, 1892
James O. Sweetland, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 24th District, 1880-81, 1883-85
H. P. Sweetland, American politician, Member of California State Assembly 16th District, 1854-55
George A. Sweetland, American politician, Representative from Connecticut at-large, 1902
Eleazer Sweetland, American politician, Member of Connecticut State House of Representatives from Hebron, 1821
... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
Seary E.R., Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland, Montreal: McGill's-Queen's Universtity Press 1998 ISBN 0-7735-1782-0
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) RECOVERY from London 1839. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1839Recovery.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2011, July 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html