2000
#144,908
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 105
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Sleigher
A surname derived from one who drove a sleigh or sled.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Sleigher. That puts it at #142,788 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,520,252 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sleigher 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
136
1 in 2,520,252
Census rank
#142,788
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
119
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 119 bearers of the surname Sleigher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 142788th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sleigher, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (0.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sleigher
The surname Sleigher is believed to have originated in Germany during the medieval period, with its earliest recorded instances found in the regions of Bavaria and Saxony. The name is derived from the Old High German word "sleigar," which referred to a person who manufactured or operated sleighs.
In the 13th century, the name appeared in various municipal records and tax rolls, often spelled as "Sleiger" or "Sleigher." One notable early reference is in the Codex Diplomaticus Saxoniae, a collection of historical documents from Saxon territories, where a certain "Johannes Sleiger" is mentioned in a land transaction dated 1274.
The earliest known bearer of the Sleigher name was Hans Sleigher, a sleigh maker from the town of Rothenburg ob der Tauber in Bavaria, who lived in the late 15th century. His craft was highly regarded, and his sleighs were used by local noblemen and merchants.
During the 16th century, the name spread to other parts of Germany and neighboring regions as families migrated. In 1582, a record in the town archives of Augsburg mentions a "Wilhelm Sleigher," who was a member of the local guild of carpenters and woodworkers.
One of the most prominent figures with the Sleigher surname was Johann Sleigher (1584-1647), a Lutheran theologian and professor at the University of Wittenberg. He authored several influential works on Protestant theology and was a respected scholar in his time.
Another notable Sleigher was Friedrich Sleigher (1712-1788), a renowned architect and master builder from Dresden. He was responsible for the design and construction of several churches and palaces in Saxony, including the Frauenkirche in Dresden, which was later destroyed during World War II and subsequently rebuilt.
In the 19th century, the Sleigher name found its way to North America as German immigrants settled in various regions. One such immigrant was Peter Sleigher (1825-1902), who arrived in Pennsylvania in the 1840s and became a successful farmer and landowner.
Throughout history, the Sleigher surname has been associated with skilled craftsmen, particularly those involved in the production and use of sleighs, a mode of transportation that was essential in many parts of Europe during the winter months.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sleigher
Among Census respondents with the surname Sleigher, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (0.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Sleigher 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 Sleigher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White94.1% · 112
- Two or more races5.0% · 6
- Black or African American0.8% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sleigher
Sleigher 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
#139,228
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 120
+15 bearers (+14.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Up 5,680 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-1 bearers (-0.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 3,560 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #144,908 | 105 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #139,228 | 120 | 0.04 | +15 bearers (+14.3%) | Up 5,680 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -1 bearers (-0.8%) | Down 3,560 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 Sleigher 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 | #139,228 | #142,788 | -2.6% |
| Count | 120 | 119 | -0.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sleigher bearers went from 120 to 119 (-0.8% change). The surname moved down 3,560 positions in the national ranking, going from #139,228 to #142,788.
FAQ
Sleigher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sleigher?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Sleigher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Sleigher?
Sleigher ranks #142,788 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 119 people with the surname Sleigher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (136), 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 Sleigher.
Has Sleigher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sleigher went from 120 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 1 (-0.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #139,228 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Sleigher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sleigher, the largest self-reported group is White at 94.1%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (5.0%) and Black (0.8%). 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 Sleigher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 94.1% (112 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sleigher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (94.1%), Two or More Races (5.0%), Black (0.8%). 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 Sleigher (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 Sleigher mean?
A surname derived from one who drove a sleigh or sled. 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 Sleigher (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 Sleigher?
See how common the surname Sleigher is on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.