2000
#12,096
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,366
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.88
Rare Last name
Sliger
An English occupational surname referring to a soldier or a servant.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,499 Americans carry the last name Sliger. That puts it at #13,372 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 137,157 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sliger 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
2.5K
1 in 137,157
Census rank
#13,372
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,179 bearers of the surname Sliger in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13372nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sliger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sliger
The surname Sliger has its origins in Germany, with records indicating its use as early as the 16th century. The name is believed to be derived from the German word "schlagen," which means "to strike" or "to beat," suggesting it may have been an occupational name for a blacksmith or someone involved in a similar trade.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the parish records of Cologne, where a Johannes Sliger was mentioned in 1587. The name also appears in various other German records from the 16th and 17th centuries, with variations in spelling such as Schliger, Schleger, and Schlager.
In the late 17th century, the name began to spread beyond Germany, with records showing Sligers settling in the Netherlands and other parts of Europe. One notable figure from this period was Hans Sliger, a Dutch merchant born in 1642, who established a successful trading company in Amsterdam.
As the name traveled, it underwent further variations in spelling, with Sliger being the most common form used in English-speaking regions. In the 18th century, the name made its way to the American colonies, with records showing a William Sliger born in Pennsylvania in 1738.
Another notable figure bearing the name was Johann Sliger, a German composer and organist born in 1719. His compositions for organ and harpsichord were highly regarded during his lifetime and contributed to the development of German baroque music.
In the 19th century, the name continued to be found across Europe and North America. One prominent individual was Frederick Sliger, an English architect born in 1812, who designed several notable buildings in London, including the Royal Academy of Music.
Other notable individuals with the surname Sliger include:
1. Heinrich Sliger (1793-1858), a German painter known for his landscapes and portraits.
2. Mary Sliger (1826-1901), an American educator and advocate for women's rights.
3. Albert Sliger (1872-1945), a Swedish engineer and inventor who developed early systems for refrigeration and air conditioning.
4. Gertrude Sliger (1901-1983), an American author and journalist who wrote extensively about life in the American West.
5. Peter Sliger (1938-2011), a German-born American businessman and philanthropist who founded a successful technology company.
While the name Sliger may have origins as an occupational surname, it has since become a well-established surname found across various cultures and regions, with many individuals bearing this name having made significant contributions in various fields throughout history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sliger
Among Census respondents with the surname Sliger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%).
The bar chart below shows how Sliger 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 Sliger surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White91.3% · 1,989
- Two or more races3.8% · 82
- Hispanic or Latino3.7% · 80
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.8% · 18
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.3% · 6
- Black or African American0.2% · 4
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sliger
Sliger 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
#12,676
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,438
+72 bearers (+3.0%)
Per 100,000 0.83
Rank movement Down 580 places
2020
#13,372
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,179
-259 bearers (-10.6%)
Per 100,000 0.73
Rank movement Down 696 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,096 | 2,366 | 0.88 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #12,676 | 2,438 | 0.83 | +72 bearers (+3.0%) | Down 580 places |
| 2020 | #13,372 | 2,179 | 0.73 | -259 bearers (-10.6%) | Down 696 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 Sliger 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 | #12,676 | #13,372 | -5.5% |
| Count | 2,438 | 2,179 | -10.6% |
| Per 100K | 0.83 | 0.73 | -12.2% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sliger bearers went from 2,438 to 2,179 (-10.6% change). The surname moved down 696 positions in the national ranking, going from #12,676 to #13,372.
FAQ
Sliger surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sliger?
Name Census estimates that about 2,499 living Americans carry the surname Sliger. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 137,157 residents.
How common is Sliger?
Sliger ranks #13,372 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.73 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 2,179 people with the surname Sliger. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,499), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.73 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 Sliger.
Has Sliger become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sliger went from 2,438 recorded bearers to 2,179. That is a decrease of 259 (-10.6%). In the national ranking it fell from #12,676 to #13,372.
What does the Census say about the background of Sliger?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sliger, the largest self-reported group is White at 91.3%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (3.8%) and Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Sliger in the 2020 Census, accounting for 91.3% (1,989 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sliger appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (91.3%), Two or More Races (3.8%), Hispanic (3.7%). 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 Sliger (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 Sliger mean?
An English occupational surname referring to a soldier or a servant. 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 Sliger (0.73 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 Americans have the surname Sliger?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.