2000
#17,530
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,481
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.55
Rare Last name
Sloop
A surname referring to a small single-masted sailing vessel.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 1,730 Americans carry the last name Sloop. That puts it at #18,179 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.50 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 198,124 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sloop 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.
Bearers in the US
1.7K
1 in 198,124
Census rank
#18,179
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.5
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
1.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 1,509 bearers of the surname Sloop in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.50 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 18179th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sloop, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sloop
The surname Sloop originated in the Netherlands during the 15th century. It is believed to derive from the Dutch word "sloep," which refers to a small boat or sloop. This suggests that the name may have been initially given as an occupational surname to someone who worked on or operated these small vessels.
The earliest known record of the Sloop name dates back to 1492, when a Jan Sloop was mentioned in a document from the city of Amsterdam. Another early record is from 1521, where a Pieter Sloop was listed in a register of births in the town of Hoorn.
In the 16th century, the name began to spread across the Netherlands and into neighboring regions. Variations in spelling emerged, such as Sloepe, Sloope, and Schloep. These variations likely arose due to regional dialects and inconsistent record-keeping practices at the time.
As the Dutch empire expanded during the 17th and 18th centuries, the Sloop name travelled with Dutch settlers and traders to various parts of the world. One notable example is Dirk Sloop, a Dutch explorer who accompanied Abel Tasman on his voyage to Tasmania in 1642.
Another significant figure with the Sloop surname was Pieter Sloop (1628-1701), a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his genre scenes depicting everyday life in Holland. His works are housed in several prominent museums, including the Rijksmuseum in Amsterdam.
In the realm of literature, the Dutch writer and poet Cornelis Sloop (1786-1853) gained recognition for his satirical works critiquing societal issues of his time.
Moving into the 19th century, Hendrik Sloop (1818-1892) was a respected Dutch architect who designed several notable buildings in Amsterdam, including the Beurs van Berlage, a prominent stock exchange building.
Another noteworthy figure was Jan Sloop (1892-1976), a Dutch resistance fighter during World War II who played a crucial role in rescuing Jewish families from Nazi persecution.
While the Sloop surname originated in the Netherlands, it eventually spread to other parts of Europe and beyond through migration and trade. Over time, the name has become associated with various professions, from maritime endeavors to artistic pursuits and beyond.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sloop
Among Census respondents with the surname Sloop, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Sloop 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 Sloop surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.2% · 1,422
- Two or more races2.7% · 40
- Hispanic or Latino2.3% · 34
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 6
- Black or African American0.3% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sloop
Sloop 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
#18,918
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,443
-38 bearers (-2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.49
Rank movement Down 1,388 places
2020
#18,179
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 1,509
+66 bearers (+4.6%)
Per 100,000 0.50
Rank movement Up 739 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #17,530 | 1,481 | 0.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #18,918 | 1,443 | 0.49 | -38 bearers (-2.6%) | Down 1,388 places |
| 2020 | #18,179 | 1,509 | 0.50 | +66 bearers (+4.6%) | Up 739 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 Sloop 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 | #18,918 | #18,179 | 3.9% |
| Count | 1,443 | 1,509 | 4.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.49 | 0.50 | 3.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sloop bearers went from 1,443 to 1,509 (+4.6% change). The surname moved up 739 positions in the national ranking, going from #18,918 to #18,179.
FAQ
Sloop surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sloop?
Name Census estimates that about 1,730 living Americans carry the surname Sloop. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 198,124 residents.
How common is Sloop?
Sloop ranks #18,179 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.50 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 1,509 people with the surname Sloop. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (1,730), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.5 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.50 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Sloop.
Has Sloop become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sloop went from 1,443 recorded bearers to 1,509. That is an increase of 66 (+4.6%). In the national ranking it rose from #18,918 to #18,179.
What does the Census say about the background of Sloop?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sloop, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.7%) and Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Sloop in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.2% (1,422 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sloop appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.2%), Two or More Races (2.7%), Hispanic (2.3%). 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 Sloop (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 Sloop mean?
A surname referring to a small single-masted sailing vessel. 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 Sloop (0.50 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 Sloop?
See how many people are called Sloop on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.