Family name origins & meanings
- English : unexplained. Possibly an Anglicized form of Dutch Swijse(n), variant of Wijs ‘wise’ (see Wise).
- The name was brought to North America by John Swasey, a Quaker who came from England to Salem, MA, with two sons, John and Joseph, in or before 1640. Banished from Salem because of his religious beliefs, he moved first to Setauket, Long Island, NY, and subsequently to Southold, Long Island. His son Joseph remained in MA and inherited his estate at Salem.