2000
#743
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 42,281
First available Census row
Per 100,000 15.67
Uncommon Last name
Sloan
A topographic surname referring to a person who lived near a slough or wetland.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 47,703 Americans carry the last name Sloan. That puts it at #808 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 13.92 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 7,185 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sloan 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 Sloan with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
48K
1 in 7,185
Census rank
#808
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
13.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
42K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 41,599 bearers of the surname Sloan in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 13.92 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 808th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sloan, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sloan
The surname Sloan has its origins in the Scottish Highlands and is derived from the Gaelic word "sloinneadh," which means "descendant" or "clan." It is believed that the name first appeared in the 12th century and was most prevalent in the regions of Argyll and the Hebrides.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Sloan can be found in the Exchequer Rolls of Scotland from 1264, where a person named Gilmor Sloan is mentioned. Another early reference is in the Ragman Rolls of 1296, a document containing the names of Scottish nobles who swore allegiance to King Edward I of England during the Scottish Wars of Independence.
The Sloan surname has also been associated with various place names in Scotland, such as Sloan Bank and Sloan's Pend in Edinburgh, and Sloan's Glen in Ayrshire. These place names may have contributed to the spread and adoption of the surname in different regions.
Throughout history, several notable individuals have carried the surname Sloan. One of the earliest was John Sloan (c. 1370-1456), a Scottish prelate who served as Bishop of Dunkeld and played a significant role in the negotiations between Scotland and England during the reign of King James I.
Another prominent figure was Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753), an Irish physician and naturalist who was one of the founders of the British Museum and the Chelsea Physic Garden in London. His vast collection of natural history specimens and books became the foundation of the British Museum's collections.
In the realm of literature, John Sloan (1871-1951) was an American painter and etcher known for his works depicting urban life in New York City during the early 20th century. He was a member of the Ashcan School and is considered one of the most important American realist painters of his time.
Alfred P. Sloan (1875-1966) was an American businessman and executive who served as the president and chairman of General Motors Corporation. He is credited with pioneering many management techniques and organizational principles that became widely adopted in the automotive industry and beyond.
Finally, John Sloan Dickey (1907-1991) was an American educator and diplomat who served as the president of Dartmouth College from 1945 to 1970. He played a significant role in expanding the college's academic programs and fostering international relations during his tenure.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sloan
Among Census respondents with the surname Sloan, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Sloan 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 Sloan surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White76.8% · 31,940
- Black or African American13.4% · 5,586
- Two or more races4.1% · 1,696
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 1,354
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.7% · 726
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 297
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sloan
Sloan 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
#800
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 43,261
+980 bearers (+2.3%)
Per 100,000 14.67
Rank movement Down 57 places
2020
#808
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 41,599
-1,662 bearers (-3.8%)
Per 100,000 13.92
Rank movement Down 8 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #743 | 42,281 | 15.67 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #800 | 43,261 | 14.67 | +980 bearers (+2.3%) | Down 57 places |
| 2020 | #808 | 41,599 | 13.92 | -1,662 bearers (-3.8%) | Down 8 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 Sloan 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 | #800 | #808 | -1.0% |
| Count | 43,261 | 41,599 | -3.8% |
| Per 100K | 14.67 | 13.92 | -5.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sloan bearers went from 43,261 to 41,599 (-3.8% change). The surname moved down 8 positions in the national ranking, going from #800 to #808.
FAQ
Sloan surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sloan?
Name Census estimates that about 47,703 living Americans carry the surname Sloan. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 7,185 residents.
How common is Sloan?
Sloan ranks #808 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 13.92 per 100,000 residents, which is about 14 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 41,599 people with the surname Sloan. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (47,703), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 13.92 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 13.92 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 14 of them to have the surname Sloan.
Has Sloan become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sloan went from 43,261 recorded bearers to 41,599. That is a decrease of 1,662 (-3.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #800 to #808.
What does the Census say about the background of Sloan?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sloan, the largest self-reported group is White at 76.8%. The next largest groups are Black (13.4%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Sloan in the 2020 Census, accounting for 76.8% (31,940 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sloan appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (76.8%), Black (13.4%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Sloan (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 Sloan mean?
A topographic surname referring to a person who lived near a slough or wetland. 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 Sloan (13.92 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 common is the surname Sloan?
If you just want to know how many people have the surname Sloan, HowManyOfMe.org gives you the headline number in one glance.