Slaven last name popularity, history, and meaning

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

Meaning of Slaven

A surname of Slavic origin, derived from the word "slava" meaning "glory" or "fame."

Slaven, 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 Slaven surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Slaven in America

Slaven is the 10011th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Slaven surname appeared 3,221 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Slaven.

We can also compare 2010 data for Slaven 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.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 10011 9874 1.38%
Count 3,221 3,016 6.57%
Proportion per 100k 1.09 1.12 -2.71%

The history of the last name Slaven

The surname Slaven has its origins in the Slavic language and culture, and is believed to have first emerged in the region of modern-day Poland and the Czech Republic during the Middle Ages. The name is derived from the Slavic word "slava," which means "glory" or "fame," suggesting that the original bearers of this surname may have been individuals of notable reputation or achievement.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the Slaven surname can be found in the 14th century Polish chronicles, where it appears in reference to a prominent noble family. In the 15th century, a variant spelling, Slavin, is documented in the Bohemian region, indicating the name's spread and adaptation across different Slavic territories.

During the Renaissance period, the Slaven name gained further prominence, with several notable individuals bearing this surname. One such figure was Jan Slaven (1480-1548), a renowned Czech humanist scholar and writer who made significant contributions to the development of the Czech language and literature.

In the 17th century, the Slaven surname appeared in various records across Central and Eastern Europe, including the Prussian regions. A notable bearer of this name was Caspar Slaven (1635-1701), a German-born Jesuit missionary who traveled extensively in Asia, leaving behind valuable accounts of his travels and cultural observations.

As the Slavic diaspora spread across the globe, the Slaven surname also found its way to other parts of the world. In the 19th century, records show individuals with the Slaven surname emigrating to the Americas, particularly to the United States and Canada, where they established new communities and contributed to the cultural diversity of these nations.

Among the notable figures with the Slaven surname in more recent history are:

  1. Zora Slaven (1920-2005), a Croatian-born American writer and journalist who wrote extensively about Slavic culture and history.
  2. Michael Slaven (born 1958), an American actor and producer known for his work in films and television shows.
  3. Slavenko Musladin (1935-2011), a Croatian-born Australian painter and sculptor who was recognized for his contributions to the Australian art scene.
  4. Slavomir Rawicz (1915-2004), a Polish-born British writer and former prisoner of war, best known for his memoir "The Long Walk."
  5. Slavica Cukalovic (born 1978), a Serbian-born Canadian professional basketball player who represented Canada in international competitions.

While the origins of the Slaven surname can be traced back to the Slavic regions of Central and Eastern Europe, it has since spread across the globe, carried by individuals of Slavic descent and those who have adopted this name over the centuries.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Slaven

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

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 Slaven was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 95.06% 3,062
Non-Hispanic Black Only 1.09% 35
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 0.43% 14
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.78% 25
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 0.81% 26
Hispanic Origin 1.83% 59

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 Slaven has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 95.06% 95.72% -0.69%
Black 1.09% 0.99% 9.62%
Asian and Pacific Islander 0.43% 0.36% 17.72%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.78% 0.73% 6.62%
Two or More Races 0.81% 1.43% -55.36%
Hispanic 1.83% 0.76% 82.63%

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

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

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"Slaven last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on November 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/slaven-surname-popularity/.

"Slaven last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/slaven-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 November, 2024

Slaven last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/slaven-surname-popularity/.

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