Find out how popular the last name Slama is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Slama.

Slama, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Slama surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Slama in America

Slama is the 17323rd most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Slama surname appeared 1,632 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Slama.

We can also compare 2010 data for Slama to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Slama

The surname SLAMA originated in the Czech Republic and its earliest known roots can be traced back to the 13th century. It is derived from the Old Czech word "slama", meaning "straw" or "hay". This suggests that the name may have initially been used to describe someone who worked with straw or hay, such as a farmer or thatcher.

The name SLAMA can be found in several historical records, including the Codex Diplomaticus et Epistolaris Regni Bohemiae, a collection of medieval documents from the Kingdom of Bohemia. One of the earliest recorded instances is a reference to a certain Petr Slama in a document dated 1285.

In the 15th century, the name appeared in the form "Slamka" in the Liber Vetustissimus Archivii Civitatis Pragensis, an ancient registry of citizens in Prague. This variation suggests a possible connection to the word "slamka", meaning "straw" or "reed" in Czech.

A notable historical figure with the surname SLAMA was Jan Slama (1592-1668), a Czech Protestant minister and writer who authored several religious texts. Another prominent bearer of the name was Frantisek Slama (1786-1844), a Czech painter and engraver known for his landscapes and historical scenes.

In the 19th century, the name was associated with the village of Slama, located in the Pardubice Region of the Czech Republic. It is likely that some individuals adopted the surname SLAMA as a reference to their place of origin or residence.

Other notable individuals with the surname SLAMA include Vaclav Slama (1860-1935), a Czech engineer and inventor who patented several innovations in the field of steam engines, and Arnost Slama (1901-1966), a Czech painter and illustrator known for his depictions of rural life.

Throughout its history, the surname SLAMA has maintained its Czech roots and has been predominantly found in the Czech Republic and regions with significant Czech populations.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Slama

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Slama.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Slama was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Slama has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Slama was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Slama, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!