2000
#6,360
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,927
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.83
Rare Last name
Slusher
An occupational surname referring to someone who clears or dredges rivers, streams, or ditches.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,378 Americans carry the last name Slusher. That puts it at #6,900 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 63,733 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Slusher 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
5.4K
1 in 63,733
Census rank
#6,900
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.6
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
4.7K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 4,690 bearers of the surname Slusher in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6900th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Slusher, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slusher
The surname Slusher is of English origin, emerging in the late 16th century. It is derived from the Middle English word "slush," referring to a muddy or slushy area. The name likely originated as a descriptive term for someone who lived near a marshy or muddy location.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Slusher can be found in the parish records of St. Mary's Church in Somerset, England, where a John Slusher was baptized in 1597. The surname was also found in the records of St. Peter's Church in Kent, where a William Slusher was mentioned in 1612.
The name Slusher appears to have been particularly prevalent in the southern counties of England, such as Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall, where the terrain was often marshy and swampy. This lends credence to the theory that the name originated as a descriptive term for someone living in such an environment.
In the 17th century, the Slusher surname began to spread beyond the southern counties of England. In 1643, a Thomas Slusher was recorded in the parish records of St. Giles in London. This suggests that the name had begun to migrate to other parts of the country.
One notable figure bearing the Slusher surname was John Slusher, a merchant from Bristol, England, who was born in 1642. He is mentioned in several historical records from the late 17th century, including trade records and legal documents.
Another individual of note was William Slusher, born in 1685 in Devonshire, England. He was a farmer and landowner, and his name appears in several land records from the early 18th century.
In the 18th century, the Slusher name began to appear in records from other parts of the world, as English settlers and immigrants carried the name with them. For example, a Jacob Slusher was born in 1712 in Pennsylvania, one of the earliest recorded instances of the name in the American colonies.
Other notable individuals with the Slusher surname include:
1. Thomas Slusher (1778-1842), a farmer and landowner in Virginia, USA.
2. Mary Slusher (1802-1879), a pioneer in the American West who helped establish a settlement in Oregon.
3. James Slusher (1832-1912), a soldier in the American Civil War who fought for the Union.
4. Robert Slusher (1867-1941), a businessman and entrepreneur in New York City.
Overall, the surname Slusher has a rich history rooted in the English countryside, with its origins likely stemming from a descriptive term for someone living near a marshy or muddy area. Over time, the name spread from its southern English roots to other parts of the country and eventually to other parts of the world as English settlers and immigrants carried the name with them.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slusher
Among Census respondents with the surname Slusher, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%).
The bar chart below shows how Slusher 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 Slusher surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White87.2% · 4,092
- Two or more races4.6% · 214
- Hispanic or Latino3.6% · 170
- Black or African American3.5% · 163
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 36
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.3% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slusher
Slusher 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
#6,727
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,014
+87 bearers (+1.8%)
Per 100,000 1.70
Rank movement Down 367 places
2020
#6,900
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 4,690
-324 bearers (-6.5%)
Per 100,000 1.57
Rank movement Down 173 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #6,360 | 4,927 | 1.83 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #6,727 | 5,014 | 1.70 | +87 bearers (+1.8%) | Down 367 places |
| 2020 | #6,900 | 4,690 | 1.57 | -324 bearers (-6.5%) | Down 173 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 Slusher 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 | #6,727 | #6,900 | -2.6% |
| Count | 5,014 | 4,690 | -6.5% |
| Per 100K | 1.70 | 1.57 | -7.7% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slusher bearers went from 5,014 to 4,690 (-6.5% change). The surname moved down 173 positions in the national ranking, going from #6,727 to #6,900.
FAQ
Slusher surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slusher?
Name Census estimates that about 5,378 living Americans carry the surname Slusher. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 63,733 residents.
How common is Slusher?
Slusher ranks #6,900 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.57 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 4,690 people with the surname Slusher. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,378), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.57 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.57 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Slusher.
Has Slusher become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slusher went from 5,014 recorded bearers to 4,690. That is a decrease of 324 (-6.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #6,727 to #6,900.
What does the Census say about the background of Slusher?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slusher, the largest self-reported group is White at 87.2%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (4.6%) and Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Slusher in the 2020 Census, accounting for 87.2% (4,092 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slusher appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (87.2%), Two or More Races (4.6%), Hispanic (3.6%). 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 Slusher (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 Slusher mean?
An occupational surname referring to someone who clears or dredges rivers, streams, or ditches. 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 Slusher (1.57 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 people have the surname Slusher?
HowManyOfMe.org, our sister site, answers that with the living-bearer count in one glance.