2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Slagg
A dialectal surname likely derived from a geographic name.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Slagg. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Slagg 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 Slagg with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Slagg in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Slagg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slagg
The surname SLAGG is believed to have originated in England during the late medieval period. Its roots can be traced back to the Old English word "slæc," which meant "slack" or "sluggish," likely referring to a person's physical or temperamental characteristics. The name may have been a descriptive nickname or occupational name given to someone who was perceived as slow or lazy.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name SLAGG appears in the Subsidy Rolls of Yorkshire from 1297, where a person named William Slagge is mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 13th century in the northern parts of England.
During the 15th century, the SLAGG surname can be found in various records, such as the Feet of Fines for Suffolk from 1446, where a John Slagge is mentioned. The name also appears in the Hearth Tax Rolls for Yorkshire in the 17th century, indicating its continued presence in the region.
One notable individual with the surname SLAGG was John Slagg (1660-1728), an English clergyman and academic who served as the Rector of Kilkhampton in Cornwall. Another was Thomas Slagg (1728-1797), a British soldier who fought in the American Revolutionary War and later settled in Canada.
In the 18th century, the SLAGG surname appears to have spread to other parts of the British Isles, as evidenced by the birth of William Slagg in County Antrim, Ireland, in 1753.
Over the centuries, variations in spelling have emerged, including Slagg, Slagge, Slegge, and Slegg, reflecting the fluidity of surname spellings before standardization became more common.
Among other notable individuals with the SLAGG surname are:
1. Robert Slagg (1771-1843), an English mathematician and surveyor.
2. Elizabeth Slagg (1819-1891), a British suffragist and activist for women's rights.
3. James Slagg (1856-1932), a Scottish-born Canadian politician and businessman.
4. Henry Slagg (1875-1947), an English cricketer who played for Lancashire.
5. Edith Slagg (1891-1968), an American artist and painter known for her landscape and still-life works.
While the SLAGG surname may not be among the most common in modern times, its historical roots and presence across various regions and professions make it a distinctive and intriguing surname with a rich tapestry of stories and individuals behind it.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slagg
Among Census respondents with the surname Slagg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Slagg 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 Slagg surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 95
- Two or more races4.8% · 5
- American Indian and Alaska Native2.9% · 3
- Hispanic or Latino1.0% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slagg
Slagg 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
#145,220
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
-16 bearers (-12.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 22,686 places
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-10 bearers (-8.8%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 8,370 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #145,220 | 114 | 0.04 | -16 bearers (-12.3%) | Down 22,686 places |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -10 bearers (-8.8%) | Down 8,370 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 Slagg 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 | #145,220 | #153,590 | -5.8% |
| Count | 114 | 104 | -8.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slagg bearers went from 114 to 104 (-8.8% change). The surname moved down 8,370 positions in the national ranking, going from #145,220 to #153,590.
FAQ
Slagg surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slagg?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Slagg. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Slagg?
Slagg ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Slagg. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Slagg.
Has Slagg become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slagg went from 114 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 10 (-8.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #145,220 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Slagg?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slagg, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.8%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%). 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 Slagg in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (95 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slagg appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (4.8%), American Indian/Alaska Native (2.9%). 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 Slagg (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 Slagg mean?
A dialectal surname likely derived from a geographic name. 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 Slagg (0.03 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 Slagg?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.