2000
#58,999
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 321
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.12
Very Rare Last name
Sluyter
A habitational surname denoting someone from the Dutch town of Sluys.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 423 Americans carry the last name Sluyter. That puts it at #59,236 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 810,294 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sluyter 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
423
1 in 810,294
Census rank
#59,236
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
369
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 369 bearers of the surname Sluyter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 59236th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sluyter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sluyter
The surname Sluyter originated in the Netherlands, specifically in the province of North Holland. The name likely derived from the Dutch word "sluiten," which means "to close" or "to shut," and may have referred to someone who lived near a sluice gate or worked as a sluice keeper.
Historical records indicate that the name Sluyter appeared in various Dutch documents dating back to the 16th century. One of the earliest references can be found in the 1576 census records of the city of Alkmaar, which lists a certain Pieter Sluyter among the residents.
In the 17th century, the name Sluyter was mentioned in several legal documents and land records, particularly in the regions around Amsterdam and Haarlem. For instance, a Jacob Sluyter was listed as a landowner in a 1652 deed from the town of Heemstede.
The earliest known bearer of the Sluyter surname was Dirck Sluyter, a merchant from Amsterdam who lived from 1580 to 1645. Another notable figure was Hendrik Sluyter, a renowned painter and engraver from Haarlem, who was active in the late 17th century.
As the Dutch empire expanded, the Sluyter name spread to various colonies and settlements around the world. One such example is Jan Sluyter, a Dutch settler who arrived in the Cape Colony (present-day South Africa) in 1688 and became a prominent farmer in the region.
In the 18th century, the Sluyter family had a presence in the Dutch East Indies (modern-day Indonesia). A prominent member was Cornelis Sluyter, born in 1702, who served as a high-ranking official in the Dutch East India Company (VOC) and played a significant role in the administration of the colony.
Another noteworthy individual was Willem Sluyter, a Dutch naval officer and explorer who led several expeditions to the Dutch East Indies in the late 18th century. His detailed accounts of his voyages and observations of the region's geography and culture were widely published and influential at the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sluyter
Among Census respondents with the surname Sluyter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Sluyter 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 Sluyter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.7% · 331
- Hispanic or Latino5.7% · 21
- Two or more races2.4% · 9
- Black or African American1.4% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sluyter
Sluyter 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
#57,372
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 355
+34 bearers (+10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Up 1,627 places
2020
#59,236
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 369
+14 bearers (+3.9%)
Per 100,000 0.12
Rank movement Down 1,864 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #58,999 | 321 | 0.12 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #57,372 | 355 | 0.12 | +34 bearers (+10.6%) | Up 1,627 places |
| 2020 | #59,236 | 369 | 0.12 | +14 bearers (+3.9%) | Down 1,864 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 Sluyter 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 | #57,372 | #59,236 | -3.2% |
| Count | 355 | 369 | 3.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.12 | 0.12 | 2.9% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sluyter bearers went from 355 to 369 (+3.9% change). The surname moved down 1,864 positions in the national ranking, going from #57,372 to #59,236.
FAQ
Sluyter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sluyter?
Name Census estimates that about 423 living Americans carry the surname Sluyter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 810,294 residents.
How common is Sluyter?
Sluyter ranks #59,236 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.12 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 369 people with the surname Sluyter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (423), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.12 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.12 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Sluyter.
Has Sluyter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sluyter went from 355 recorded bearers to 369. That is an increase of 14 (+3.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #57,372 to #59,236.
What does the Census say about the background of Sluyter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sluyter, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.7%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.7%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Sluyter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.7% (331 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sluyter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.7%), Hispanic (5.7%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Sluyter (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 Sluyter mean?
A habitational surname denoting someone from the Dutch town of Sluys. 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 Sluyter (0.12 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 surname Sluyter?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.