2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Slydell
A variant spelling of the English surname Slydall, originally derived from a location near Manchester.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 119 Americans carry the last name Slydell. That puts it at #153,590 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.03 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,880,289 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Slydell 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
119
1 in 2,880,289
Census rank
#153,590
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
104
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 104 bearers of the surname Slydell in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.03 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 153590th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Slydell, the largest self-reported group is Black at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and White (1.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Slydell
The surname Slydell originated in England during the medieval period. It is believed to have derived from a place name, which was a common practice for acquiring surnames at the time. The name likely evolved from a location called "Slyde Hill" or a similar variation, referring to a slippery or muddy hillside.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name Slydell can be found in the Pipe Rolls of Gloucestershire in 1221, where a certain Robert de Slydell was mentioned. This suggests that the name was already established in the region during the early 13th century.
In the 14th century, the Slydell family appeared to have connections to the county of Oxfordshire. A document from 1387 mentions a John Slydell, who was involved in a land dispute in the village of Somerton, near Oxford.
During the Tudor period, the name Slydell gained some prominence in the city of London. William Slydell, a merchant and alderman, was recorded as a benefactor of St. Michael's Church in Cornhill in the late 15th century.
The Slydell family continued to maintain a presence in various parts of England throughout the following centuries. In the 17th century, a notable figure was Richard Slydell, a member of the clergy who served as the rector of St. Mary's Church in Marlborough, Wiltshire, from 1638 until his death in 1663.
Another individual of note was Sir Thomas Slydell, who lived in the late 17th and early 18th centuries. He was a prominent landowner and served as the High Sheriff of Gloucestershire in 1703.
In the 19th century, the Slydell name was associated with the English gentry. Captain Edward Slydell, born in 1812, was a distinguished officer in the British Army who served in the Crimean War and received several military honors.
Throughout its history, variations in the spelling of the Slydell surname have been observed, including Slidell, Slydel, and Slydill. These variations likely emerged due to regional dialects and the inconsistencies in spelling conventions during earlier periods.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Slydell
Among Census respondents with the surname Slydell, the largest self-reported group is Black at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and White (1.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Slydell 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 Slydell surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- Black or African American90.4% · 94
- Hispanic or Latino5.8% · 6
- White1.9% · 2
- Two or more races1.9% · 2
Timeline
Historical Census data for Slydell
Slydell appears in 2 published Census surname files: 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2020
#153,590
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 104
-13 bearers (-11.1%)
Per 100,000 0.03
Rank movement Down 11,482 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2020 | #153,590 | 104 | 0.03 | -13 bearers (-11.1%) | Down 11,482 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 Slydell 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 | #142,108 | #153,590 | -8.1% |
| Count | 117 | 104 | -11.1% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.03 | -13.0% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Slydell bearers went from 117 to 104 (-11.1% change). The surname moved down 11,482 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #153,590.
FAQ
Slydell surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Slydell?
Name Census estimates that about 119 living Americans carry the surname Slydell. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,880,289 residents.
How common is Slydell?
Slydell ranks #153,590 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.03 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 104 people with the surname Slydell. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (119), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.03 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.03 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 Slydell.
Has Slydell become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Slydell went from 117 recorded bearers to 104. That is a decrease of 13 (-11.1%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #153,590.
What does the Census say about the background of Slydell?
Among Census respondents with the surname Slydell, the largest self-reported group is Black at 90.4%. The next largest groups are Hispanic (5.8%) and White (1.9%). 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?
Black is the largest self-reported group for the surname Slydell in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.4% (94 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Slydell appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are Black (90.4%), Hispanic (5.8%), White (1.9%). 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 Slydell (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 Slydell mean?
A variant spelling of the English surname Slydall, originally derived from a location near Manchester. 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 Slydell (0.03 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 Slydell?
Our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers how many people are called Slydell at a glance, with the living-bearer count up front.