2000
#120,330
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 133
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Slais
A surname derived from a place name or derived from the word "slay" meaning to kill.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Slais. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Slais 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
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Slais in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Slais, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slais
The surname SLAIS is believed to have originated in the Slavic regions of Eastern Europe, particularly in modern-day Poland and the Czech Republic. The name is derived from an old Slavic word meaning "sweet" or "pleasant," suggesting that it may have initially been a descriptive nickname or a reference to someone with a pleasant personality or demeanor.
The earliest known recorded instances of the surname SLAIS can be traced back to the 14th century in various Polish and Czech records. One notable example is a mention of a Slais Wojciechowski in a document from the town of Krakow, dated 1387. This indicates that the name had already established itself as a surname by this time.
In the 16th century, the SLAIS surname began to appear in other parts of Central and Eastern Europe, likely due to migration and the spread of the Slavic population. One prominent figure bearing this name was Jan Slais, a Czech composer and musician who lived from 1515 to 1581. He is known for his contributions to the development of early Renaissance music in the region.
The SLAIS surname also has connections to several place names in the Czech Republic and Poland. For instance, the village of Slais in the Czech Republic's Pardubice Region may have derived its name from the surname or vice versa. Similarly, the Polish town of Slaiszewo, located in the Kuyavian-Pomeranian Voivodeship, likely has ties to the SLAIS surname or its variants.
In the 17th century, there are records of a Matej Slais, a Slovak mathematician and astronomer who lived from 1634 to 1690. He made significant contributions to the study of comets and celestial observations during his time.
Moving into the 18th century, the SLAIS surname continued to be present in various parts of Eastern Europe. One notable figure was Józef Slais, a Polish painter and artist who lived from 1741 to 1815. He was known for his portraits and religious paintings, many of which can still be found in churches and galleries throughout Poland.
In the 19th century, the SLAIS surname gained further recognition with the birth of Jan Slais (1819-1892), a Czech composer and conductor. He was a prominent figure in the Czech National Revival movement and helped promote the works of other Czech composers, such as Bedřich Smetana.
Throughout its history, the SLAIS surname has been spelled in various ways, including Slays, Slajs, and Schlais, reflecting regional variations and linguistic influences. However, the core meaning and origin of the name remain rooted in its Slavic heritage and the concept of sweetness or pleasantness.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slais
Among Census respondents with the surname Slais, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Slais 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 Slais surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White89.3% · 100
- Two or more races4.5% · 5
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 4
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.8% · 2
- Black or African American0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slais
Slais 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
#127,494
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 134
+1 bearers (+0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 7,164 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-22 bearers (-16.4%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 20,460 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #120,330 | 133 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #127,494 | 134 | 0.05 | +1 bearers (+0.8%) | Down 7,164 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -22 bearers (-16.4%) | Down 20,460 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 Slais 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 | #127,494 | #147,954 | -16.0% |
| Count | 134 | 112 | -16.4% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -25.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slais bearers went from 134 to 112 (-16.4% change). The surname moved down 20,460 positions in the national ranking, going from #127,494 to #147,954.
FAQ
Slais surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slais?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Slais. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Slais?
Slais ranks #147,954 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 112 people with the surname Slais. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), 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 Slais.
Has Slais become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slais went from 134 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 22 (-16.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #127,494 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Slais?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slais, the largest self-reported group is White at 89.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.5%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Slais in the 2020 Census, accounting for 89.3% (100 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slais appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (89.3%), Two or More Races (4.5%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Slais (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 Slais mean?
A surname derived from a place name or derived from the word "slay" meaning to kill. 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 Slais (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 Americans have the surname Slais?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.