2000
#122,534
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 130
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.05
Very Rare Last name
Slind
Of Norse origin, possibly from Old Norse slindra meaning "to trail" or "to drag".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 136 Americans carry the last name Slind. 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 Slind 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 Slind 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 Slind, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slind
The surname Slind originates from Norway, where it first emerged in the Middle Ages around the 12th century. It is believed to have derived from the Old Norse word "slind," which means "crooked" or "winding," possibly referring to a topographical feature or a person's physical appearance or character.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Slind surname can be found in the Norwegian Diplom Norske Gammelnorske (Old Norwegian Diplomas) from the late 13th century, where a person named Sigurd Slind is mentioned in a document dated 1296.
The Slind name is predominantly concentrated in the Scandinavian countries, particularly Norway and Sweden. In Norway, it is found in regions such as Trøndelag, Møre og Romsdal, and Oppland, where it has deep roots.
Notable individuals with the Slind surname include Nils Slind (1889-1945), a Norwegian politician and member of the Norwegian parliament (Storting) from 1931 to 1945. Another prominent figure was Olav Slind (1888-1962), a Norwegian educator and principal of the Molde Teacher's College from 1920 to 1958.
In Sweden, the Slind name can be traced back to the 17th century, with one of the earliest recorded instances being Johan Slind, born in 1649 in Västergötland. A more recent Swedish figure with the Slind surname was Sven Slind (1917-1996), a writer and poet from Värmland.
The name Slind has also appeared in historical records in other parts of Europe, such as Denmark and Germany, where it is likely that individuals or families with this surname migrated from Scandinavia over the centuries.
Other notable individuals with the Slind surname include Ingrid Slind (1888-1977), a Norwegian politician and one of the first female members of the Norwegian parliament, serving from 1945 to 1961. In the United States, Torger Slind (1896-1980) was a Norwegian-American businessman and philanthropist who founded the Slind Foundation in Minnesota.
While the Slind surname has its roots in Scandinavia, it has since spread to other parts of the world through migration and immigration, carrying with it a rich historical connection to its Norse origins and the winding paths of its bearers.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slind
Among Census respondents with the surname Slind, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%).
The bar chart below shows how Slind 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 Slind surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White97.5% · 116
- Two or more races2.5% · 3
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slind
Slind 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
#129,047
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 132
+2 bearers (+1.5%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,513 places
2020
#142,788
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 119
-13 bearers (-9.8%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 13,741 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #122,534 | 130 | 0.05 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #129,047 | 132 | 0.04 | +2 bearers (+1.5%) | Down 6,513 places |
| 2020 | #142,788 | 119 | 0.04 | -13 bearers (-9.8%) | Down 13,741 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 Slind 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 | #129,047 | #142,788 | -10.6% |
| Count | 132 | 119 | -9.8% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -0.5% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slind bearers went from 132 to 119 (-9.8% change). The surname moved down 13,741 positions in the national ranking, going from #129,047 to #142,788.
FAQ
Slind surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slind?
Name Census estimates that about 136 living Americans carry the surname Slind. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,520,252 residents.
How common is Slind?
Slind 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 Slind. 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 Slind.
Has Slind become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slind went from 132 recorded bearers to 119. That is a decrease of 13 (-9.8%). In the national ranking it fell from #129,047 to #142,788.
What does the Census say about the background of Slind?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slind, the largest self-reported group is White at 97.5%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Slind in the 2020 Census, accounting for 97.5% (116 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slind appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (97.5%), Two or More Races (2.5%). 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 Slind (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 Slind mean?
Of Norse origin, possibly from Old Norse slindra meaning "to trail" or "to drag". 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 Slind (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 Americans have the surname Slind?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.