2000
#5,597
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,687
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.11
Rare Last name
Slate
An English occupational surname referring to a person who worked with slate, such as a roofer or tiler.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 6,204 Americans carry the last name Slate. That puts it at #6,093 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 55,247 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Slate 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 Slate with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
6.2K
1 in 55,247
Census rank
#6,093
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,410 bearers of the surname Slate in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6093rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Slate, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slate
The surname SLATE is of English origin, derived from the Old English word "slat," which referred to a flat piece of rock or slate used for roofing. This name likely originated as a occupational surname for someone who worked with slate, such as a roofer or a quarry worker.
The earliest known record of the surname SLATE dates back to the 13th century in England. One of the earliest recorded instances is in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire from 1273, which mentions a person named William le Slattere.
During the Middle Ages, people were often identified by their occupation or place of origin. The surname SLATE may have also derived from a place name, such as Slate Hill or Slate Quarry, indicating that the original bearer of the name lived in or near an area where slate was mined or quarried.
In the Domesday Book of 1086, there are several references to places with names related to slate, such as "Slatburn" and "Slatedelai," suggesting the presence of slate quarries or deposits in these areas.
One notable figure with the surname SLATE was William SLATE, born around 1580 in England. He was a puritan minister who emigrated to America in the 17th century and became one of the founders of the town of Hadley, Massachusetts.
Another historical figure was John SLATE, born in 1642 in England. He was a prominent merchant and landowner in colonial Virginia and served as a member of the House of Burgesses, the colonial legislature of Virginia.
In the 18th century, a man named Joseph SLATE, born in 1720 in England, was a noted English architect and surveyor. He designed several notable buildings, including the Shire Hall in Monmouth, Wales.
The surname SLATE also has connections to the English Civil War. Colonel Richard SLATE, born around 1610, was a prominent Parliamentary officer who fought against the Royalist forces during the conflict.
In the 19th century, one of the most famous individuals with the surname SLATE was John SLATE, born in 1828 in England. He was a renowned artist and engraver, known for his intricate engravings of landscapes and architectural subjects.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slate
Among Census respondents with the surname Slate, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Slate 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 Slate surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White84.7% · 4,582
- Black or African American5.3% · 286
- Two or more races4.6% · 249
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 194
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 55
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 44
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slate
Slate 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
#5,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,969
+282 bearers (+5.0%)
Per 100,000 2.02
Rank movement Down 199 places
2020
#6,093
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,410
-559 bearers (-9.4%)
Per 100,000 1.81
Rank movement Down 297 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #5,597 | 5,687 | 2.11 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #5,796 | 5,969 | 2.02 | +282 bearers (+5.0%) | Down 199 places |
| 2020 | #6,093 | 5,410 | 1.81 | -559 bearers (-9.4%) | Down 297 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 Slate 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 | #5,796 | #6,093 | -5.1% |
| Count | 5,969 | 5,410 | -9.4% |
| Per 100K | 2.02 | 1.81 | -10.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slate bearers went from 5,969 to 5,410 (-9.4% change). The surname moved down 297 positions in the national ranking, going from #5,796 to #6,093.
FAQ
Slate surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slate?
Name Census estimates that about 6,204 living Americans carry the surname Slate. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 55,247 residents.
How common is Slate?
Slate ranks #6,093 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,410 people with the surname Slate. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (6,204), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Slate.
Has Slate become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slate went from 5,969 recorded bearers to 5,410. That is a decrease of 559 (-9.4%). In the national ranking it fell from #5,796 to #6,093.
What does the Census say about the background of Slate?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slate, the largest self-reported group is White at 84.7%. The next largest groups are Black (5.3%) and Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Slate in the 2020 Census, accounting for 84.7% (4,582 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slate appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (84.7%), Black (5.3%), Two or More Races (4.6%). 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 Slate (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 Slate mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a person who worked with slate, such as a roofer or tiler. 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 Slate (1.81 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 common is the surname Slate?
See how common the surname Slate is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.