2000
#12,037
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,380
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Slabaugh
A surname of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "slâ," meaning "sloe" or "blackthorn."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,194 Americans carry the last name Slabaugh. That puts it at #10,926 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.93 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 107,312 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Slabaugh 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
3.2K
1 in 107,312
Census rank
#10,926
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.8K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,785 bearers of the surname Slabaugh in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.93 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 10926th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Slabaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slabaugh
The surname Slabaugh originated in Germany, first appearing in records around the 16th century. It is believed to derive from the old German words "slap" meaning "to strike" and "baugh" meaning "hollow tree" or "log". This suggests the name may have originally referred to a person who carved or worked with hollow logs.
One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Slabaugh name can be found in the church records of the town of Niederlosheim, Germany from 1564, where a Hans Slabaugh is listed as a resident. The spelling at the time was "Schlaboch". Over the centuries, various spellings like Schlaboch, Schlabach, and Slabaugh emerged as the name spread to different regions.
As the Slabaugh family migrated, they settled in areas of Switzerland and France before some members eventually made their way to America in the early 18th century. Among the first recorded Slabaughs in America was Christian Slabaugh, born in 1710 in Switzerland, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1737.
Notable individuals with the Slabaugh surname include John Slabaugh (1755-1832), a Mennonite minister and early settler in Ohio. His grandson, David Slabaugh (1801-1874), was also a Mennonite minister who helped establish congregations in Indiana.
Abraham Slabaugh (1826-1908) was a prolific writer and publisher of German language texts in Pennsylvania. His son, Menno Slabaugh (1864-1935), continued the family publishing business and was also involved in civic affairs.
In the 20th century, Lillie Slabaugh (1904-1989) achieved recognition as an educator and advocate for rural schools in Colorado. Meanwhile, Arlee Slabaugh (1919-2001) served as a US Navy pilot during World War II before pursuing a career in business.
While initially concentrated in Pennsylvania and the surrounding areas, the Slabaugh name can now be found across the United States and Canada, reflecting the family's migration patterns over the past few centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slabaugh
Among Census respondents with the surname Slabaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Hispanic (1.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Slabaugh 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 Slabaugh surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.2% · 2,651
- Two or more races2.3% · 65
- Hispanic or Latino1.5% · 41
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 17
- Black or African American0.3% · 7
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.1% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slabaugh
Slabaugh 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
#10,671
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,997
+617 bearers (+25.9%)
Per 100,000 1.02
Rank movement Up 1,366 places
2020
#10,926
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,785
-212 bearers (-7.1%)
Per 100,000 0.93
Rank movement Down 255 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,037 | 2,380 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #10,671 | 2,997 | 1.02 | +617 bearers (+25.9%) | Up 1,366 places |
| 2020 | #10,926 | 2,785 | 0.93 | -212 bearers (-7.1%) | Down 255 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 Slabaugh 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 | #10,671 | #10,926 | -2.4% |
| Count | 2,997 | 2,785 | -7.1% |
| Per 100K | 1.02 | 0.93 | -8.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slabaugh bearers went from 2,997 to 2,785 (-7.1% change). The surname moved down 255 positions in the national ranking, going from #10,671 to #10,926.
FAQ
Slabaugh surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slabaugh?
Name Census estimates that about 3,194 living Americans carry the surname Slabaugh. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 107,312 residents.
How common is Slabaugh?
Slabaugh ranks #10,926 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.93 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 2,785 people with the surname Slabaugh. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,194), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.93 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.93 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 Slabaugh.
Has Slabaugh become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slabaugh went from 2,997 recorded bearers to 2,785. That is a decrease of 212 (-7.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #10,671 to #10,926.
What does the Census say about the background of Slabaugh?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slabaugh, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.3%) and Hispanic (1.5%). 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?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Slabaugh in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.2% (2,651 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slabaugh appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.2%), Two or More Races (2.3%), Hispanic (1.5%). 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 Slabaugh (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 Slabaugh mean?
A surname of German origin, derived from the Middle High German word "slâ," meaning "sloe" or "blackthorn." 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 Slabaugh (0.93 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 Slabaugh?
For a quick modern take, check how many people are called Slabaugh on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.