2000
#3,785
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,590
First available Census row
Per 100,000 3.18
Rare Last name
Slattery
An Irish occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a house builder or roofer.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 9,647 Americans carry the last name Slattery. That puts it at #4,087 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 2.81 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 35,530 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Slattery 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 Slattery with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
9.6K
1 in 35,530
Census rank
#4,087
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
2.8
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
8.4K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 8,413 bearers of the surname Slattery in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 2.81 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 4087th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Slattery, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slattery
The surname Slattery is of Irish origin, derived from the Old Irish word "slaitire," meaning "dweller in a valley" or "person from a sloping place." It is believed to have originated in the 12th century in County Kerry, Ireland.
In its earliest forms, the name was spelled as "Slaitir" or "Slaittir." Over time, various spelling variations emerged, including Slattery, Slattar, Slatter, and Slattre. These variations were likely influenced by regional dialects and the challenges of consistent record-keeping during that era.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Slattery can be found in the Annals of the Kingdom of Ireland, which date back to the 11th century. The annals mention a person named "Slaittir" who lived in the area now known as County Kerry.
In the 16th century, the Slattery name appeared in the Fiants of the Tudor Sovereigns, which were records of grants and pardons issued by the English Crown in Ireland. This suggests that the Slattery family had established themselves as landowners or individuals of some significance during that period.
Notable individuals with the surname Slattery throughout history include:
1. Maurice Slattery (1835-1912), an Irish-American politician who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from Massachusetts.
2. John Slattery (1787-1855), an Irish Catholic priest and educator who founded St. John's College in Waterford, Ireland.
3. Mary Slattery (1800-1880), an Irish nun and founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of the Sacred Hearts of Jesus and Mary.
4. Charles Slattery (1859-1937), an Australian politician and member of the Australian Senate.
5. John Slattery (born 1962), an American actor known for his roles in films and TV shows such as "Mad Men" and "Spotlight."
The Slattery name has also been associated with various place names in Ireland, particularly in County Kerry, where it is believed to have originated. Examples include Slattery's Bridge and Slattery's Cross, both located in the town of Tralee.
While the Slattery surname has its roots in Ireland, it has since spread to other parts of the world, particularly through Irish emigration to countries like the United States, Australia, and the United Kingdom.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slattery
Among Census respondents with the surname Slattery, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%).
The bar chart below shows how Slattery 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 Slattery surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White93.0% · 7,827
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 261
- Two or more races2.4% · 206
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 70
- Black or African American0.4% · 31
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.2% · 18
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slattery
Slattery 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
#4,082
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,695
+105 bearers (+1.2%)
Per 100,000 2.95
Rank movement Down 297 places
2020
#4,087
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,413
-282 bearers (-3.2%)
Per 100,000 2.81
Rank movement Down 5 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #3,785 | 8,590 | 3.18 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,082 | 8,695 | 2.95 | +105 bearers (+1.2%) | Down 297 places |
| 2020 | #4,087 | 8,413 | 2.81 | -282 bearers (-3.2%) | Down 5 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 Slattery 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 | #4,082 | #4,087 | -0.1% |
| Count | 8,695 | 8,413 | -3.2% |
| Per 100K | 2.95 | 2.81 | -4.6% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slattery bearers went from 8,695 to 8,413 (-3.2% change). The surname moved down 5 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,082 to #4,087.
FAQ
Slattery surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slattery?
Name Census estimates that about 9,647 living Americans carry the surname Slattery. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 35,530 residents.
How common is Slattery?
Slattery ranks #4,087 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 2.81 per 100,000 residents, which is about 3 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 8,413 people with the surname Slattery. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (9,647), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 2.81 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 2.81 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 3 of them to have the surname Slattery.
Has Slattery become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slattery went from 8,695 recorded bearers to 8,413. That is a decrease of 282 (-3.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,082 to #4,087.
What does the Census say about the background of Slattery?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slattery, the largest self-reported group is White at 93.0%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (3.1%) and Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Slattery in the 2020 Census, accounting for 93.0% (7,827 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slattery appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (93.0%), Hispanic (3.1%), Two or More Races (2.4%). 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 Slattery (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 Slattery mean?
An Irish occupational surname referring to a person who worked as a house builder or roofer. 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 Slattery (2.81 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 many people have the surname Slattery?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.