2000
#104,819
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 158
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.06
Very Rare Last name
Slease
A spelling variant of the English surname "Slease" referring to someone from the district of Sleaze.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 139 Americans carry the last name Slease. That puts it at #141,309 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,465,859 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Slease 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.
Bearers in the US
139
1 in 2,465,859
Census rank
#141,309
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
121
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 121 bearers of the surname Slease in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 141309th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Slease, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slease
The surname Slease has its origins in Scotland and England, where it first appeared in the 13th century. It is derived from the Old English word "slæc," meaning "slack" or "slow," which may have been used as a nickname for someone who was perceived as lazy or sluggish.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is spelled as "Slac." This suggests that the name may have originally been a descriptive nickname before evolving into a hereditary surname.
The Slease surname is also closely linked to the village of Slaley, located in Northumberland, England. It is believed that some families may have adopted the name as a locational surname, indicating their place of origin or residence.
In the 14th century, records show a William Slese living in Yorkshire, England. This particular spelling variation highlights the fluidity of surnames during that time period, as standardized spellings were not yet firmly established.
Notable individuals with the Slease surname include John Slease (1547-1612), an English clergyman who served as the Archdeacon of Norfolk. Another prominent figure was Sir Thomas Slease (1612-1679), a British politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Suffolk.
In Scotland, the name is associated with the Slease family of Kilmarnock, Ayrshire. One of their descendants, Robert Slease (1726-1795), was a respected merchant and landowner in the region.
Other notable individuals bearing the Slease surname include:
1. Thomas Slease (1634-1701), an English merchant and philanthropist from Bristol.
2. Margaret Slease (1688-1753), a Scottish writer known for her poetry and essays.
3. Sir William Slease (1742-1818), a British naval officer who served during the American Revolutionary War.
4. James Slease (1789-1862), an American politician who served as the Governor of Ohio from 1845 to 1849.
5. Emily Slease (1867-1943), a renowned British artist and sculptor known for her works depicting rural life.
While the Slease surname may have originated as a descriptive nickname, it has since evolved into a proud family name with a rich history spanning several centuries and multiple countries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slease
Among Census respondents with the surname Slease, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%).
The bar chart below shows how Slease 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 Slease surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White86.8% · 105
- Two or more races7.4% · 9
- American Indian and Alaska Native3.3% · 4
- Black or African American1.7% · 2
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slease
Slease 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
#123,796
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 139
-19 bearers (-12.0%)
Per 100,000 0.05
Rank movement Down 18,977 places
2020
#141,309
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 121
-18 bearers (-12.9%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 17,513 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #104,819 | 158 | 0.06 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #123,796 | 139 | 0.05 | -19 bearers (-12.0%) | Down 18,977 places |
| 2020 | #141,309 | 121 | 0.04 | -18 bearers (-12.9%) | Down 17,513 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 Slease 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 | #123,796 | #141,309 | -14.1% |
| Count | 139 | 121 | -12.9% |
| Per 100K | 0.05 | 0.04 | -19.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slease bearers went from 139 to 121 (-12.9% change). The surname moved down 17,513 positions in the national ranking, going from #123,796 to #141,309.
FAQ
Slease surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slease?
Name Census estimates that about 139 living Americans carry the surname Slease. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,465,859 residents.
How common is Slease?
Slease ranks #141,309 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 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 121 people with the surname Slease. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (139), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 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 Slease.
Has Slease become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slease went from 139 recorded bearers to 121. That is a decrease of 18 (-12.9%). In the national ranking it fell from #123,796 to #141,309.
What does the Census say about the background of Slease?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slease, the largest self-reported group is White at 86.8%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (7.4%) and American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%). 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 Slease in the 2020 Census, accounting for 86.8% (105 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slease appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (86.8%), Two or More Races (7.4%), American Indian/Alaska Native (3.3%). 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 Slease (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 Slease mean?
A spelling variant of the English surname "Slease" referring to someone from the district of Sleaze. 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 Slease (0.04 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 Slease?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how common the surname Slease is at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.