2000
#72,466
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 250
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.09
Very Rare Last name
Slote
A surname derived from the Dutch word "sloot," meaning ditch or stream.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 244 Americans carry the last name Slote. That puts it at #92,574 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.07 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 1,404,731 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Slote 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
244
1 in 1,404,731
Census rank
#92,574
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
213
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 213 bearers of the surname Slote in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.07 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 92574th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Slote, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slote
The surname Slote has its origins in the Netherlands and dates back to the 16th century. It is believed to be derived from the Dutch word "sloot," which means "ditch" or "trench." This suggests that the name may have initially referred to someone who lived near or worked with ditches or canals.
In the early 1600s, records show the name appearing in various Dutch provinces, particularly in the regions of Noord-Holland and Zuid-Holland. The earliest recorded spelling variations include Sloote, Slooten, and Sloter.
One of the earliest known individuals with this surname was Jan Slote, a merchant from Amsterdam who lived in the late 16th century. Another notable figure was Pieter Slote, a Dutch painter born in Leiden in 1608.
The name Slote can also be traced to the Dutch settlement of New Netherland, which encompassed parts of modern-day New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. In the 1650s, a family named Slote settled in what is now Brooklyn, New York.
In the 18th century, the Slote surname appeared in various records and documents in the American colonies. For example, Johannes Slote, born in 1712, was a farmer and landowner in Kings County, New York.
Another prominent individual was Hendrick Slote, a Dutch-American Revolutionary War soldier born in 1744. He served in the Continental Army and fought in several battles, including the Battle of Long Island and the Battle of Monmouth.
In the 19th century, the name spread to other parts of the United States as descendants of the original Dutch settlers migrated westward. One notable figure from this period was Samuel Slote, a farmer and businessman born in 1820 in Oneida County, New York.
Throughout its history, the Slote surname has maintained its Dutch roots and close ties to the Netherlands. While not among the most common surnames, it has left a legacy in various regions, particularly in the northeastern United States, where many early Dutch settlers established themselves.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slote
Among Census respondents with the surname Slote, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%).
The bar chart below shows how Slote 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 Slote surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.1% · 192
- Asian and Pacific Islander4.7% · 10
- Two or more races3.8% · 8
- Hispanic or Latino0.9% · 2
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slote
Slote 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
#85,357
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 219
-31 bearers (-12.4%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 12,891 places
2020
#92,574
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 213
-6 bearers (-2.7%)
Per 100,000 0.07
Rank movement Down 7,217 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #72,466 | 250 | 0.09 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #85,357 | 219 | 0.07 | -31 bearers (-12.4%) | Down 12,891 places |
| 2020 | #92,574 | 213 | 0.07 | -6 bearers (-2.7%) | Down 7,217 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 Slote 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 | #85,357 | #92,574 | -8.5% |
| Count | 219 | 213 | -2.7% |
| Per 100K | 0.07 | 0.07 | 1.8% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slote bearers went from 219 to 213 (-2.7% change). The surname moved down 7,217 positions in the national ranking, going from #85,357 to #92,574.
FAQ
Slote surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slote?
Name Census estimates that about 244 living Americans carry the surname Slote. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 1,404,731 residents.
How common is Slote?
Slote ranks #92,574 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.07 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 213 people with the surname Slote. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (244), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.07 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.07 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 Slote.
Has Slote become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slote went from 219 recorded bearers to 213. That is a decrease of 6 (-2.7%). In the national ranking it fell from #85,357 to #92,574.
What does the Census say about the background of Slote?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slote, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.1%. The next largest groups are Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%) and Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Slote in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.1% (192 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slote appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.1%), Asian/Pacific Islander (4.7%), Two or More Races (3.8%). 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 Slote (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 Slote mean?
A surname derived from the Dutch word "sloot," meaning ditch or 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 Slote (0.07 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 Slote?
See how many Americans have the surname Slote on HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site built around that single question.