2000
#1,234
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,088
First available Census row
Per 100,000 9.67
Uncommon Last name
Slaughter
An occupational surname referring to a person who butchered animals or worked as a slaughterer or executioner.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 29,996 Americans carry the last name Slaughter. That puts it at #1,318 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 8.75 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 11,427 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Slaughter 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 Slaughter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
30K
1 in 11,427
Census rank
#1,318
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
8.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
26K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 26,158 bearers of the surname Slaughter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 8.75 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1318th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Slaughter, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.1%. The next largest groups are Black (36.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slaughter
The surname Slaughter is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "slaghter," which means "butcher" or "slaughterer." The name likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked as a butcher or in a slaughterhouse.
In the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England compiled in 1086, several individuals with the surname Slaughter or variations of it, such as Slahtre and Slactere, are mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Slaughter dates back to 1273 in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, where a John le Slauhtere is listed. The use of the prefix "le" before the surname indicates that it was an occupational name at that time.
In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Slaghter, Slaughter, and Slawghter, reflecting the evolving spelling conventions of the time. One notable example is William Slaughter, a merchant from London who was mentioned in records from 1381.
During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Slaughter became more widespread across England. In 1587, a Thomas Slaughter was recorded in the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Slaughter. One example is Sir Robert Slaughter (1592-1671), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Ludgershall in Wiltshire. Another is William Slaughter (1623-1679), an English Puritan minister and author who served as the chaplain to Oliver Cromwell.
In the 18th century, the Slaughter surname gained prominence in Virginia, United States, where several individuals with this name were among the early settlers. One such person was Robert Slaughter (1704-1767), a prominent planter and landowner in Culpeper County, Virginia.
Another notable figure with the surname Slaughter is Gabriel Slaughter (1767-1830), a former governor of Kentucky and a veteran of the American Revolutionary War. He served as the seventh governor of Kentucky from 1816 to 1820.
In the 19th century, William Slaughter (1798-1891) was a prominent physician and politician from Virginia who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1835 to 1843.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slaughter
Among Census respondents with the surname Slaughter, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.1%. The next largest groups are Black (36.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Slaughter 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 Slaughter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White55.1% · 14,412
- Black or African American36.0% · 9,427
- Two or more races4.6% · 1,214
- Hispanic or Latino3.4% · 879
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.5% · 123
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 103
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slaughter
Slaughter 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
#1,295
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 27,155
+1,067 bearers (+4.1%)
Per 100,000 9.21
Rank movement Down 61 places
2020
#1,318
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 26,158
-997 bearers (-3.7%)
Per 100,000 8.75
Rank movement Down 23 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,234 | 26,088 | 9.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,295 | 27,155 | 9.21 | +1,067 bearers (+4.1%) | Down 61 places |
| 2020 | #1,318 | 26,158 | 8.75 | -997 bearers (-3.7%) | Down 23 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 Slaughter 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 | #1,295 | #1,318 | -1.8% |
| Count | 27,155 | 26,158 | -3.7% |
| Per 100K | 9.21 | 8.75 | -5.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slaughter bearers went from 27,155 to 26,158 (-3.7% change). The surname moved down 23 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,295 to #1,318.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Slaughter
FAQ
Slaughter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slaughter?
Name Census estimates that about 29,996 living Americans carry the surname Slaughter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 11,427 residents.
How common is Slaughter?
Slaughter ranks #1,318 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 8.75 per 100,000 residents, which is about 9 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 26,158 people with the surname Slaughter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (29,996), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 8.75 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 8.75 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 9 of them to have the surname Slaughter.
Has Slaughter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slaughter went from 27,155 recorded bearers to 26,158. That is a decrease of 997 (-3.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #1,295 to #1,318.
What does the Census say about the background of Slaughter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slaughter, the largest self-reported group is White at 55.1%. The next largest groups are Black (36.0%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Slaughter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 55.1% (14,412 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slaughter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (55.1%), Black (36.0%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Slaughter (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 Slaughter mean?
An occupational surname referring to a person who butchered animals or worked as a slaughterer or executioner. 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 Slaughter (8.75 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 Slaughter?
If you just want to know how many people are called Slaughter, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.