2000
#7,440
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,125
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.53
Rare Last name
Slavin
A surname derived from the Slavic root "slava," meaning "glory" or "fame."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 4,120 Americans carry the last name Slavin. That puts it at #8,760 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 83,193 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Slavin 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 Slavin with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
4.1K
1 in 83,193
Census rank
#8,760
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.2
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.6K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,593 bearers of the surname Slavin in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 8760th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Slavin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slavin
The surname Slavin has its origins in Eastern Europe, specifically in the Slavic regions of modern-day Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus. It is believed to have emerged in the 9th or 10th century, during the early years of the Kievan Rus' state.
Slavin is a patronymic surname, derived from the Slavic root "slav," which means "glory" or "praise." It was likely given to the descendants of a man named Slav or a variation of that name. The suffix "-in" denotes a possessive form, indicating a familial or tribal connection.
Historical records of the name Slavin can be traced back to the 12th century. One of the earliest mentions is found in the Laurentian Codex, a Russian chronicle from the 14th century, which refers to a certain Slavin Smolensky, a nobleman from the city of Smolensk.
In the 15th century, a prominent figure named Yuri Slavin served as a military commander under Ivan III, the Grand Prince of Moscow. He played a crucial role in the conquest of Novgorod in 1478, helping to solidify the power of the Muscovite state.
Another notable bearer of the Slavin name was Andrei Slavin, a Russian explorer and cartographer who lived in the late 16th and early 17th centuries. He is known for his expeditions to the Arctic regions and his detailed maps of Siberia and the Russian Far East.
In the 19th century, a renowned Russian writer and journalist, Vasily Slavin (1835-1908), gained recognition for his works on social issues and literary criticism. He was a prominent figure in the Russian intelligentsia of his time.
During the Soviet era, Nikolai Slavin (1892-1937) was a prominent Bolshevik revolutionary and politician. He held various leadership positions within the Communist Party and served as the head of the Soviet trade union movement in the 1920s and 1930s.
While the surname Slavin has its roots in Eastern Europe, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and diaspora. It remains a prominent surname in Russia, Ukraine, and Belarus, as well as in countries with significant Slavic populations.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slavin
Among Census respondents with the surname Slavin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Slavin 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 Slavin surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.2% · 3,242
- Hispanic or Latino4.0% · 145
- Two or more races3.5% · 126
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.0% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native1.0% · 35
- Black or African American0.3% · 9
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slavin
Slavin 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
#8,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,981
-144 bearers (-3.5%)
Per 100,000 1.35
Rank movement Down 883 places
2020
#8,760
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,593
-388 bearers (-9.7%)
Per 100,000 1.20
Rank movement Down 437 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #7,440 | 4,125 | 1.53 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,323 | 3,981 | 1.35 | -144 bearers (-3.5%) | Down 883 places |
| 2020 | #8,760 | 3,593 | 1.20 | -388 bearers (-9.7%) | Down 437 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 Slavin 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 | #8,323 | #8,760 | -5.3% |
| Count | 3,981 | 3,593 | -9.7% |
| Per 100K | 1.35 | 1.20 | -11.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slavin bearers went from 3,981 to 3,593 (-9.7% change). The surname moved down 437 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,323 to #8,760.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Slavin
FAQ
Slavin surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slavin?
Name Census estimates that about 4,120 living Americans carry the surname Slavin. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 83,193 residents.
How common is Slavin?
Slavin ranks #8,760 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.20 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,593 people with the surname Slavin. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (4,120), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.2 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.20 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Slavin.
Has Slavin become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slavin went from 3,981 recorded bearers to 3,593. That is a decrease of 388 (-9.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,323 to #8,760.
What does the Census say about the background of Slavin?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slavin, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.2%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.0%) and Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Slavin in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.2% (3,242 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slavin appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.2%), Hispanic (4.0%), Two or More Races (3.5%). 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 Slavin (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 Slavin mean?
A surname derived from the Slavic root "slava," meaning "glory" or "fame." 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 Slavin (1.20 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 are called Slavin?
For a quick modern take, check how common the surname Slavin is on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org.