2000
#12,347
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,308
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.86
Rare Last name
Salters
An occupational surname referring to a worker who gathered or sold salt.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,834 Americans carry the last name Salters. That puts it at #12,052 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.83 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 120,944 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Salters 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 Salters with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
2.8K
1 in 120,944
Census rank
#12,052
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.5K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,471 bearers of the surname Salters in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.83 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 12052nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Salters, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.2%. The next largest groups are White (29.5%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Salters
The surname Salters originated in England during the medieval period. It is an occupational surname, derived from the Old English word 'saltor', meaning a maker or seller of salt. Salt was a highly valuable commodity during the Middle Ages, used for preserving food, and those involved in its production or trade were considered important tradesmen.
The name Salters can be traced back to the Domesday Book of 1086, which recorded several individuals with the name or its variants, such as Saltere or Salter, residing in various counties across England. One notable early record is that of William le Salter, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1221.
The earliest known bearer of the surname Salters was Robert le Salters, who lived in Oxfordshire in the late 12th century. Another early record is that of Walter Salters, who was mentioned in the Curia Regis Rolls of Yorkshire in 1218.
The surname Salters has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the most famous was John Salters (1576-1642), an English politician and merchant who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1641. Another notable figure was George Salters (1751-1839), a British naval officer who played a significant role in the Napoleonic Wars.
Thomas Salters (1605-1673) was an English clergyman and author, known for his work "The Modern Dyer's Assistant". James Salters (1720-1785) was a British Royal Navy officer who served during the American Revolutionary War. William Salters (1807-1881) was a British architect and surveyor, known for his work on several churches and public buildings in London.
Over time, the surname Salters has evolved and taken on various spellings, such as Salter, Saulter, and Saulters. These variations can often be traced back to regional dialects or differences in pronunciation. The name has also been associated with various place names, such as Salters Hill in Bedfordshire and Salters Lane in Surrey, further reinforcing its origins and historical significance.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Salters
Among Census respondents with the surname Salters, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.2%. The next largest groups are White (29.5%) and Two or More Races (5.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Salters 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 Salters surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American61.2% · 1,513
- White29.5% · 728
- Two or more races5.5% · 136
- Hispanic or Latino3.3% · 81
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Salters
Salters 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
#12,022
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,597
+289 bearers (+12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.88
Rank movement Up 325 places
2020
#12,052
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,471
-126 bearers (-4.9%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 30 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,347 | 2,308 | 0.86 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,022 | 2,597 | 0.88 | +289 bearers (+12.5%) | Up 325 places |
| 2020 | #12,052 | 2,471 | 0.83 | -126 bearers (-4.9%) | Down 30 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 Salters 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 | #12,022 | #12,052 | -0.2% |
| Count | 2,597 | 2,471 | -4.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.88 | 0.83 | -6.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Salters bearers went from 2,597 to 2,471 (-4.9% change). The surname moved down 30 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,022 to #12,052.
FAQ
Salters surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Salters?
Name Census estimates that about 2,834 living Americans carry the surname Salters. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 120,944 residents.
How common is Salters?
Salters ranks #12,052 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.83 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 2,471 people with the surname Salters. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,834), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.83 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.83 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 Salters.
Has Salters become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Salters went from 2,597 recorded bearers to 2,471. That is a decrease of 126 (-4.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,022 to #12,052.
What does the Census say about the background of Salters?
Among Census respondents with the surname Salters, the largest self-reported group is Black at 61.2%. The next largest groups are White (29.5%) and Two or More Races (5.5%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Salters in the 2020 Census, accounting for 61.2% (1,513 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Salters appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (61.2%), White (29.5%), Two or More Races (5.5%). 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 Salters (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 Salters mean?
An occupational surname referring to a worker who gathered or sold salt. 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 Salters (0.83 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 Americans have the surname Salters?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.