2000
#2,579
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,893
First available Census row
Per 100,000 4.78
Uncommon Last name
Slack
An occupational surname for someone who operated a ferry or barge.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 14,411 Americans carry the last name Slack. That puts it at #2,792 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 4.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 23,784 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Slack 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 Slack with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
14K
1 in 23,784
Census rank
#2,792
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
4.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
13K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 12,567 bearers of the surname Slack in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 4.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 2792nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Slack, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slack
The surname SLACK is of English origin, dating back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "slæc," meaning "slack" or "hollow," which was likely used to describe a person who lived in a small valley or depression in the landscape.
The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in various medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Cambridgeshire from 1273, which mentions a William Slak. The Domesday Book of 1086 also contains references to place names like Slacca and Slachestone, which may have contributed to the development of the surname.
During the Middle Ages, the name was often spelled in various ways, including Slak, Slakke, and Slaik, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in pronunciation. The SLACK spelling became more standardized in the 16th and 17th centuries.
One notable bearer of the surname was John Slack (c. 1530-1608), an English Protestant minister and writer who served as the chaplain to Sir Francis Walsingham, the principal secretary to Queen Elizabeth I.
In the 17th century, Thomas Slack (1617-1677) was a prominent English Puritan minister who played a significant role in the Presbyterian movement during the English Civil War.
Another historical figure was Benjamin Slack (1756-1826), a British military officer who served in the American Revolutionary War and later became the Lieutenant Governor of the Isle of Man.
The name SLACK has also been associated with several place names, such as Slack in West Yorkshire, which likely influenced the adoption of the surname by families living in or near those locations.
Sir Benjamin Slack (1886-1967) was a notable 20th-century British businessman and philanthropist who founded the Slack Shoes company and supported various charitable causes.
Throughout history, the SLACK surname has been borne by individuals across various professions, from clergymen and soldiers to businessmen and academics, reflecting the diverse backgrounds and contributions of those who carried this name.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slack
Among Census respondents with the surname Slack, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Slack 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 Slack surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White79.8% · 10,028
- Black or African American11.6% · 1,464
- Two or more races3.9% · 488
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 463
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 76
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 48
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slack
Slack 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
#2,692
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 13,377
+484 bearers (+3.8%)
Per 100,000 4.53
Rank movement Down 113 places
2020
#2,792
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 12,567
-810 bearers (-6.1%)
Per 100,000 4.20
Rank movement Down 100 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #2,579 | 12,893 | 4.78 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #2,692 | 13,377 | 4.53 | +484 bearers (+3.8%) | Down 113 places |
| 2020 | #2,792 | 12,567 | 4.20 | -810 bearers (-6.1%) | Down 100 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 Slack 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 | #2,692 | #2,792 | -3.7% |
| Count | 13,377 | 12,567 | -6.1% |
| Per 100K | 4.53 | 4.20 | -7.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slack bearers went from 13,377 to 12,567 (-6.1% change). The surname moved down 100 positions in the national ranking, going from #2,692 to #2,792.
FAQ
Slack surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slack?
Name Census estimates that about 14,411 living Americans carry the surname Slack. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 23,784 residents.
How common is Slack?
Slack ranks #2,792 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 4.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 4 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 12,567 people with the surname Slack. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (14,411), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 4.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 4.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 4 of them to have the surname Slack.
Has Slack become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slack went from 13,377 recorded bearers to 12,567. That is a decrease of 810 (-6.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #2,692 to #2,792.
What does the Census say about the background of Slack?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slack, the largest self-reported group is White at 79.8%. The next largest groups are Black (11.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Slack in the 2020 Census, accounting for 79.8% (10,028 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slack appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (79.8%), Black (11.6%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Slack (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 Slack mean?
An occupational surname for someone who operated a ferry or barge. 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 Slack (4.20 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 Slack?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.