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

Slater, 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 Slater surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Slater in America

Slater is the 1075th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Slater surname appeared 32,584 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 11 people would have the surname Slater.

We can also compare 2010 data for Slater 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 Slater

The surname Slater has its origins in England, emerging in the late 12th century. It is an occupational name derived from the Old English word "slat," which referred to a flat piece of wood or slate used for roofing. Slaters were skilled tradespeople responsible for installing and repairing slate roofs.

The earliest known record of the surname Slater dates back to 1199 in the Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire. In these ancient tax records, a person named William le Slater is mentioned, indicating the presence of the occupation and surname at that time. The prefix "le" was commonly used in medieval times to denote a person's profession or occupation.

As the name spread across England, various spellings emerged, including Slatter, Sclater, and Sklater. These variations can be found in historical documents and records from different regions. One notable example is the mention of a John Slater in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296.

The name Slater is also associated with certain place names, such as Slaterfield in Cumbria and Slater's Bridge in Gloucestershire. These locations likely derived their names from individuals bearing the surname Slater who lived or worked in those areas.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Slater:

1. John Slater (c. 1776-1837), an English industrialist and inventor known for his contributions to the textile industry.
2. Samuel Slater (1768-1835), an English-born entrepreneur often referred to as the "Father of the American Industrial Revolution" for his role in establishing the cotton industry in the United States.
3. John Fox Slater (1815-1884), an American philanthropist and industrialist who established the Slater Fund to support education for freedmen and their descendants.
4. Henry Hohn Slater (c. 1766-1845), an English engraver and illustrator known for his work on natural history publications.
5. William Slater (c. 1611-1646), an English soldier and parliamentarian during the English Civil War, known for his involvement in the siege of Gloucester in 1643.

These examples demonstrate the historical significance and prevalence of the surname Slater, which can be traced back to its occupational roots in medieval England.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Slater

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

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 Slater 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 Slater 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 Slater was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

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