2000
#1,013
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 31,569
First available Census row
Per 100,000 11.70
Uncommon Last name
Slater
An occupational surname referring to someone who splits slate, a fine-grained metamorphic rock, for use in construction.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 35,544 Americans carry the last name Slater. That puts it at #1,114 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 10.37 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 9,643 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Slater surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Slater with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
36K
1 in 9,643
Census rank
#1,114
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
10.4
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
31K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 30,996 bearers of the surname Slater in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 10.37 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1114th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Slater, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slater
The surname Slater has its origins in England, emerging in the late 12th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "slat," which referred to a flat piece of wood or slate used for roofing. Slaters were skilled tradespeople responsible for installing and repairing slate roofs.
The earliest known record of the surname Slater dates back to 1199 in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire. In these ancient tax records, a person named William le Slater is mentioned, indicating the presence of the occupation and surname at that time. The prefix "le" was commonly used in medieval times to denote a person's profession or occupation.
As the name spread across England, various spellings emerged, including Slatter, Sclater, and Sklater. These variations can be found in historical documents and records from different regions. One notable example is the mention of a John Slater in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296.
The name Slater is also associated with certain place names, such as Slaterfield in Cumbria and Slater's Bridge in Gloucestershire. These locations likely derived their names from individuals bearing the surname Slater who lived or worked in those areas.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Slater:
1. John Slater (c. 1776-1837), an English industrialist and inventor known for his contributions to the textile industry.
2. Samuel Slater (1768-1835), an English-born entrepreneur often referred to as the "Father of the American Industrial Revolution" for his role in establishing the cotton industry in the United States.
3. John Fox Slater (1815-1884), an American philanthropist and industrialist who established the Slater Fund to support education for freedmen and their descendants.
4. Henry Hohn Slater (c. 1766-1845), an English engraver and illustrator known for his work on natural history publications.
5. William Slater (c. 1611-1646), an English soldier and parliamentarian during the English Civil War, known for his involvement in the siege of Gloucester in 1643.
These examples demonstrate the historical significance and prevalence of the surname Slater, which can be traced back to its occupational roots in medieval England.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slater
Among Census respondents with the surname Slater, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%).
The bar chart below shows how Slater bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Slater surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.1% · 23,596
- Black or African American14.9% · 4,605
- Two or more races4.0% · 1,242
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 1,119
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 229
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 205
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slater
Slater appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#1,075
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 32,584
+1,015 bearers (+3.2%)
Per 100,000 11.05
Rank movement Down 62 places
2020
#1,114
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 30,996
-1,588 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 10.37
Rank movement Down 39 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,013 | 31,569 | 11.70 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,075 | 32,584 | 11.05 | +1,015 bearers (+3.2%) | Down 62 places |
| 2020 | #1,114 | 30,996 | 10.37 | -1,588 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 39 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Slater surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,075 | #1,114 | -3.6% |
| Count | 32,584 | 30,996 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 11.05 | 10.37 | -6.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slater bearers went from 32,584 to 30,996 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 39 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,075 to #1,114.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Slater
FAQ
Slater surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slater?
Name Census estimates that about 35,544 living Americans carry the surname Slater. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 9,643 residents.
How common is Slater?
Slater ranks #1,114 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 10.37 per 100,000 residents, which is about 10 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 30,996 people with the surname Slater. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (35,544), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 10.37 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 10.37 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 10 of them to have the surname Slater.
Has Slater become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slater went from 32,584 recorded bearers to 30,996. That is a decrease of 1,588 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,075 to #1,114.
What does the Census say about the background of Slater?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slater, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.1%. The next largest groups are Black (14.9%) and Two or More Races (4.0%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Slater in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.1% (23,596 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slater appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.1%), Black (14.9%), Two or More Races (4.0%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Slater (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Slater mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who splits slate, a fine-grained metamorphic rock, for use in construction. The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Slater (10.37 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the last name Slater?
Find out how many people have the last name Slater on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.