2000
#12,868
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,192
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.81
Rare Last name
Sloat
Derived from the Middle English word "slote," referring to a deep muddy place or a sluggish stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 2,367 Americans carry the last name Sloat. That puts it at #13,992 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.69 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 144,805 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Sloat 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
2.4K
1 in 144,805
Census rank
#13,992
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
2.1K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 2,064 bearers of the surname Sloat in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.69 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 13992nd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Sloat, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Sloat
The surname SLOAT is of Dutch origin, derived from the Old Dutch word "sloot," meaning a ditch or small canal. It is believed to have originated in the Netherlands during the 16th century. The name was likely associated with individuals who lived near or worked near ditches or canals, particularly in the low-lying regions of the Netherlands.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the SLOAT surname can be found in the 17th century Dutch baptismal records from the city of Amsterdam. In 1632, a child named Jan Sloat was baptized in the Oude Kerk (Old Church) in Amsterdam.
The SLOAT surname also made an appearance in the United States during the colonial era. In 1664, a Dutch settler named Hendrick Sloat arrived in New Amsterdam (present-day New York City) from the Netherlands. He is considered one of the earliest known bearers of the SLOAT surname in North America.
A notable figure in American history with the SLOAT surname was Commodore John Drake Sloat (1781-1867). He was a naval officer who played a significant role in the Mexican-American War. In 1846, Sloat commanded the Pacific Squadron and ordered the occupation of Monterey, California, effectively initiating the conquest of California by the United States.
Another individual of historical significance was John W. Sloat (1837-1909), a Union Army officer during the American Civil War. He served as a captain in the 17th Michigan Infantry Regiment and later attained the rank of brevet brigadier general.
In the United Kingdom, the SLOAT surname can be traced back to the 18th century. One of the earliest records is from the parish registers of St. Mary's Church in Islington, London, where a child named Sarah Sloat was baptized in 1761.
A notable British figure with the SLOAT surname was Sir John Sloat (1782-1856), a Royal Navy officer who served during the Napoleonic Wars. He received recognition for his service and was knighted in 1835.
Throughout history, the SLOAT surname has also been found with various spellings, such as Sloet, Sloot, and Slote, reflecting the linguistic variations and regional pronunciations of the name's Dutch origins.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Sloat
Among Census respondents with the surname Sloat, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Sloat 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 Sloat surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 1,860
- Hispanic or Latino4.1% · 84
- Two or more races3.9% · 80
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.7% · 15
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.6% · 13
- Black or African American0.6% · 12
Timeline
Historical Census data for Sloat
Sloat 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
#13,023
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,358
+166 bearers (+7.6%)
Per 100,000 0.80
Rank movement Down 155 places
2020
#13,992
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 2,064
-294 bearers (-12.5%)
Per 100,000 0.69
Rank movement Down 969 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #12,868 | 2,192 | 0.81 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #13,023 | 2,358 | 0.80 | +166 bearers (+7.6%) | Down 155 places |
| 2020 | #13,992 | 2,064 | 0.69 | -294 bearers (-12.5%) | Down 969 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 Sloat 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 | #13,023 | #13,992 | -7.4% |
| Count | 2,358 | 2,064 | -12.5% |
| Per 100K | 0.80 | 0.69 | -13.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Sloat bearers went from 2,358 to 2,064 (-12.5% change). The surname moved down 969 positions in the national ranking, going from #13,023 to #13,992.
FAQ
Sloat surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Sloat?
Name Census estimates that about 2,367 living Americans carry the surname Sloat. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 144,805 residents.
How common is Sloat?
Sloat ranks #13,992 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.69 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 2,064 people with the surname Sloat. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (2,367), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.69 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.69 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 Sloat.
Has Sloat become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Sloat went from 2,358 recorded bearers to 2,064. That is a decrease of 294 (-12.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #13,023 to #13,992.
What does the Census say about the background of Sloat?
Among Census respondents with the surname Sloat, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (4.1%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Sloat in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (1,860 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Sloat appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Hispanic (4.1%), Two or More Races (3.9%). 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 Sloat (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 Sloat mean?
Derived from the Middle English word "slote," referring to a deep muddy place or a sluggish stream. 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 Sloat (0.69 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 common is the surname Sloat?
You can see how many people have the last name Sloat on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — same data roots, lighter UI.