Find out how popular the last name Sluiter is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sluiter.

Sluiter, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sluiter surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sluiter in America

Sluiter is the 49824th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sluiter surname appeared 421 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Sluiter.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sluiter to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Sluiter

The surname Sluiter is of Dutch origin, and its roots can be traced back to the medieval period in the Netherlands. The name is derived from the Dutch word "sluiter," which means a gatekeeper or someone who opens and closes gates or sluices.

In the early days, the surname Sluiter was likely given as an occupational name to individuals who worked as gatekeepers or sluice operators, often responsible for controlling the flow of water through canals and waterways. The Netherlands, being a low-lying country with an intricate system of dikes and canals, had a significant need for such professionals.

Historical records indicate that the name Sluiter appeared in various spellings, such as Sluyter, Sluyter, and Sluijter, reflecting the regional dialects and variations in spelling conventions of the time. One of the earliest known references to the name can be found in the records of the city of Amsterdam, where a certain Jan Sluyters was mentioned in the year 1590.

In the 17th century, during the Dutch Golden Age, the name Sluiter gained prominence. Pieter Sluiter (1625-1708), a renowned Dutch painter and engraver, was a notable figure who carried this surname. His works, depicting landscapes and cityscapes, have been preserved in various museums across Europe.

Another notable bearer of the Sluiter name was Gerrit Sluiter (1871-1935), a Dutch linguist and scholar. He made significant contributions to the study of Indonesian languages and cultures, publishing several influential works on the subject.

In the realm of literature, the Dutch author and poet Jacob Sluiter (1890-1962) left his mark with his lyrical and introspective works, exploring themes of nature and the human condition.

The Sluiter name also found its way to other parts of the world through Dutch migration and colonization. For instance, Pieter Sluiter (1637-1708), a Dutch settler in South Africa, was among the early European inhabitants of the Cape Colony.

While the name Sluiter may have originated as an occupational surname in the Netherlands, it has since transcended its initial meaning and has become a distinct part of Dutch cultural heritage, with bearers of the name making their mark in various fields throughout history.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sluiter

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sluiter.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sluiter was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sluiter has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sluiter was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sluiter, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!