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

Slaughter, 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 Slaughter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Slaughter in America

Slaughter is the 1295th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Slaughter surname appeared 27,155 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 9 people would have the surname Slaughter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Slaughter 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 Slaughter

The surname Slaughter is of English origin and dates back to the medieval period. It is derived from the Old English word "slaghter," which means "butcher" or "slaughterer." The name likely originated as an occupational surname for someone who worked as a butcher or in a slaughterhouse.

In the Domesday Book, a comprehensive record of landowners in England compiled in 1086, several individuals with the surname Slaughter or variations of it, such as Slahtre and Slactere, are mentioned. This suggests that the name was already in use by the late 11th century.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the surname Slaughter dates back to 1273 in the Hundred Rolls of Oxfordshire, where a John le Slauhtere is listed. The use of the prefix "le" before the surname indicates that it was an occupational name at that time.

In the 14th century, the surname appeared in various spellings, such as Slaghter, Slaughter, and Slawghter, reflecting the evolving spelling conventions of the time. One notable example is William Slaughter, a merchant from London who was mentioned in records from 1381.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the surname Slaughter became more widespread across England. In 1587, a Thomas Slaughter was recorded in the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Bury St. Edmunds, Suffolk.

Throughout history, several notable individuals have borne the surname Slaughter. One example is Sir Robert Slaughter (1592-1671), an English politician and Member of Parliament for Ludgershall in Wiltshire. Another is William Slaughter (1623-1679), an English Puritan minister and author who served as the chaplain to Oliver Cromwell.

In the 18th century, the Slaughter surname gained prominence in Virginia, United States, where several individuals with this name were among the early settlers. One such person was Robert Slaughter (1704-1767), a prominent planter and landowner in Culpeper County, Virginia.

Another notable figure with the surname Slaughter is Gabriel Slaughter (1767-1830), a former governor of Kentucky and a veteran of the American Revolutionary War. He served as the seventh governor of Kentucky from 1816 to 1820.

In the 19th century, William Slaughter (1798-1891) was a prominent physician and politician from Virginia who served as a member of the United States House of Representatives from 1835 to 1843.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Slaughter

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

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

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

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