2000
#36,328
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 582
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.22
Very Rare Last name
Slatter
Surname likely derived from Old English 'slætan' meaning to bespatter or make dirty.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 643 Americans carry the last name Slatter. That puts it at #41,765 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.19 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 533,055 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Slatter 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 Slatter with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
643
1 in 533,055
Census rank
#41,765
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
561
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 561 bearers of the surname Slatter in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.19 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 41765th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Slatter, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slatter
The surname SLATTER has its origins in the English counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire, dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to derive from the Middle English word "slatten," which meant to strike or slap. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person's occupation or behavior, perhaps a thresher or someone with a tendency for violence.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SLATTER surname comes from the Gloucestershire parish records of 1594, where a John Slatter is mentioned. In the same century, the variant spelling "Slater" is also found in various records across the region. It's possible that these two surnames share a common root, as "slater" was an occupation referring to a roofer or someone who worked with slate.
The SLATTER name appears in the Hearth Tax records of 1672 for Somerset, indicating its presence in the area during that period. Additionally, a Thomas Slatter is listed in the 1692 Wiltshire Protestation Returns, suggesting the surname's spread across the neighboring counties.
One notable bearer of the SLATTER name was William Slatter, a prominent English architect born in 1704 in Gloucestershire. He is best known for his work on the reconstruction of the Gloucester Cathedral after it was damaged by a storm in 1736.
Another historical figure with this surname was John Slatter, an English politician born in 1767 in Somerset. He served as a Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury from 1818 to 1820.
In the 19th century, the SLATTER surname can be found in various records, including the birth of Edward Slatter in 1812 in Gloucestershire, and the marriage of James Slatter and Mary Ann Hooper in Somerset in 1845.
Across the Atlantic, the name also made its way to the United States, with one of the earliest recorded instances being the arrival of Thomas Slatter in Pennsylvania in 1683, as documented in the Colonial Immigrants records.
Throughout history, the SLATTER surname has had various spellings, such as Slater, Slatter, and Slattor, reflecting the flexibility of surname spellings in earlier times. It has also been associated with certain place names, like Slaughterford in Wiltshire, which may have influenced the name's evolution.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slatter
Among Census respondents with the surname Slatter, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Slatter 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 Slatter surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White78.4% · 440
- Black or African American13.2% · 74
- Two or more races4.1% · 23
- Hispanic or Latino3.2% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.7% · 4
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slatter
Slatter 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
#38,850
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 568
-14 bearers (-2.4%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 2,522 places
2020
#41,765
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 561
-7 bearers (-1.2%)
Per 100,000 0.19
Rank movement Down 2,915 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #36,328 | 582 | 0.22 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #38,850 | 568 | 0.19 | -14 bearers (-2.4%) | Down 2,522 places |
| 2020 | #41,765 | 561 | 0.19 | -7 bearers (-1.2%) | Down 2,915 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 Slatter 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 | #38,850 | #41,765 | -7.5% |
| Count | 568 | 561 | -1.2% |
| Per 100K | 0.19 | 0.19 | -1.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slatter bearers went from 568 to 561 (-1.2% change). The surname moved down 2,915 positions in the national ranking, going from #38,850 to #41,765.
FAQ
Slatter surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slatter?
Name Census estimates that about 643 living Americans carry the surname Slatter. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 533,055 residents.
How common is Slatter?
Slatter ranks #41,765 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.19 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 561 people with the surname Slatter. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (643), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.19 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.19 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 Slatter.
Has Slatter become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slatter went from 568 recorded bearers to 561. That is a decrease of 7 (-1.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #38,850 to #41,765.
What does the Census say about the background of Slatter?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slatter, the largest self-reported group is White at 78.4%. The next largest groups are Black (13.2%) and Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Slatter in the 2020 Census, accounting for 78.4% (440 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slatter appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (78.4%), Black (13.2%), Two or More Races (4.1%). 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 Slatter (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 Slatter mean?
Surname likely derived from Old English 'slætan' meaning to bespatter or make dirty. 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 Slatter (0.19 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 Slatter?
For a quick modern take, check how many people have the last name Slatter on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.