2000
#117,538
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 137
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Sladen
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "valley clearing" or "valley pasture".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Sladen. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sladen 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 Sladen with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Sladen in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sladen, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (4.2%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sladen
The surname Sladen is of English origin and can be traced back to the late 12th century. It is believed to have originated from the Old English words 'slæd', meaning 'valley', and 'denu', meaning 'valley'. This suggests that the name may have initially been a locational name, referring to someone who resided in a particular valley or dell.
The earliest known record of the name appears in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire in 1204, where it is recorded as 'de Sladeburn'. This spelling variation, which combines the elements 'slæd' and 'burna' (stream), reinforces the connection to a geographical location.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several entries for places with similar names, such as Sladeburne in Worcestershire and Sledborne in Lincolnshire, which could have been the original homesteads of those bearing the surname Sladen.
One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was John Sladen, who was listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1327. Another early record is that of William Sladen, born around 1430 in Gloucestershire, whose descendants later settled in the neighboring county of Oxfordshire.
A notable figure in history was Sir John Sladen (1566-1647), an English lawyer and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Reading in the early 17th century. He was also appointed as a Justice of the Peace for Berkshire.
During the English Civil War, Captain Edward Sladen (1601-1670) was a Royalist officer who fought for King Charles I and was later imprisoned for his loyalty to the crown.
In the 18th century, Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753), an English physician and naturalist, is considered one of the most prominent individuals with the surname Sladen. He was a renowned collector of natural curiosities, and his collection formed the foundation of the British Museum.
The surname Sladen has also been associated with several place names in England, such as Sladengreen in Buckinghamshire, Sladefield in Yorkshire, and Sladehouse in Lancashire. These locations may have been named after individuals bearing the surname or vice versa.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sladen
Among Census respondents with the surname Sladen, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (4.2%).
The bar chart below shows how Sladen 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 Sladen surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.4% · 104
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Black or African American4.2% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino2.5% · 3
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sladen
Sladen 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
#140,157
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-18 bearers (-13.1%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,619 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
+0 bearers (+0.0%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 2,631 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #117,538 | 137 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #140,157 | 119 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-13.1%) | Down 22,619 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | +0 bearers (+0.0%) | Down 2,631 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 Sladen 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 | #140,157 | #142,788 | -1.9% |
| Count | 119 | 119 | 0.0% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sladen bearers went from 119 to 119 (+0.0% change). The surname moved down 2,631 positions in the national ranking, going from #140,157 to #142,788.
FAQ
Sladen surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sladen?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Sladen. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Sladen?
Sladen ranks #142,788 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 119 people with the surname Sladen. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Sladen.
Has Sladen become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sladen went from 119 recorded bearers to 119. That is an increase of 0 (+0.0%). In the national ranking it fell from #140,157 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Sladen?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sladen, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.4%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (4.2%). 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 Sladen in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.4% (104 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sladen appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.4%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Black (4.2%). 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 Sladen (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 Sladen mean?
An English habitational surname derived from a place name meaning "valley clearing" or "valley pasture". 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 Sladen (0.04 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 are called Sladen?
You can see how many Americans have the surname Sladen on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.