NameCensus.

UK surname

Slane

An Irish surname derived from the placename Slane in County Meath.

In the 1881 census there were 83 people recorded with the Slane surname, ranking it #21,808 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 206, ranked #19,183, up from #21,808 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to No data. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include The Glens, Springburn and Anderston.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Slane is 215 in 2014. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 148.2%.

1881 census count

83

Ranked #21,808

Modern count

206

2016, ranked #19,183

Peak year

2014

215 bearers

Map years

3

1998 to 2016

Key insights

  • Slane had 83 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #21,808 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 206 in 2016, ranked #19,183.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 94 in 1891.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Spacious Rural Living.

Slane surname distribution map

The map shows where the Slane surname is concentrated in each census or modern distribution year. Darker areas mean a stronger local concentration.

Distribution map

Slane surname density by area, 2016 modern.

Loading map
Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

Back to top

Slane over time

The table below tracks recorded surname counts and rank from the 19th-century census years through the modern adult-register period.

Year Period Count Rank
1851 historical 57 #23,092
1861 historical 44 #28,433
1881 historical 83 #21,808
1891 historical 94 #24,820
1901 historical 94 #23,588
1911 historical 74 #25,423
1997 modern 208 #17,219
1998 modern 207 #17,749
1999 modern 204 #18,021
2000 modern 207 #17,833
2001 modern 191 #18,453
2002 modern 198 #18,410
2003 modern 193 #18,501
2004 modern 185 #19,114
2005 modern 176 #19,667
2006 modern 175 #19,850
2007 modern 182 #19,618
2008 modern 189 #19,315
2009 modern 188 #19,797
2010 modern 201 #19,387
2011 modern 213 #18,502
2012 modern 199 #19,280
2013 modern 211 #18,872
2014 modern 215 #18,764
2015 modern 209 #19,018
2016 modern 206 #19,183

Geography

Back to top

Where Slanes are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around No data. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to The Glens, Springburn, Anderston, Hilltown and County Durham. Treat these as concentration signals, not proof that every family line began there.

Some modern areas include a three-digit suffix, such as Leeds 110. The suffix is a small-area code, so it stays in the table while the prose uses the plain place name.

Top historical parishes

Rank Parish Area
1 No data No data

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 The Glens Dundee City
2 Springburn Glasgow City
3 Anderston Glasgow City
4 Hilltown Dundee City
5 County Durham 020 County Durham

Forenames

Back to top

First names often paired with Slane

These lists show first names that appear often with the Slane surname in historical and recent records.

Modern profile

Back to top

Neighbourhood profile for Slane

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Slane, this points to the kinds of places where the surname is most concentrated today.

These neighbourhood labels describe areas, not individual people. They are useful because surnames often cluster through family history, migration, housing patterns and local work. A surname can be strongest in one type of neighbourhood even when people with that name live across the country.

The UK classification gives the national picture. The London classification is more specific to the capital, where housing, age profile, tenure and population mix can look quite different from the rest of the UK.

UK neighbourhood type

UK Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Retired Professionals

Group

Spacious Rural Living

Nationally, the Slane surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Spacious Rural Living, within Retired Professionals. This does not mean every Slane household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These predominantly ageing households typically have no resident dependent children. Most are owner-occupiers and live in detached houses in low density residential developments (although renting is more common than in the rest of the Supergroup). White ethnicity predominates. Residents are typically beyond retirement age but those still in work have managerial, professional or skilled trade occupations. White ethnicity and Christian religious affiliation predominate. Neighbourhoods are located throughout rural UK.

Wider pattern

Typically married but no longer with resident dependent children, these well-educated households either remain working in their managerial, professional, administrative or other skilled occupations, or are retired from them – the modal individual age is beyond normal retirement age. Underoccupied detached and semi-detached properties predominate, and unpaid care is more prevalent than reported disability. The prevalence of this Supergroup outside most urban conurbations indicates that rural lifestyles prevail, typically sustained by using two or more cars per household.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Central Connected Professionals and Managers

Group

Senior Professionals

Within London, Slane is most associated with areas classed as Senior Professionals, part of Central Connected Professionals and Managers. This gives the surname a London-specific profile rather than forcing the capital into the same pattern as the rest of the country.

Read profile summary

Group profile

These very central neighbourhoods house residents whose ages are more skewed towards older age cohorts than elsewhere in the Supergroup. Few households have young children. Rates of illness are low. Indian ethnicity is rare compared to the Supergroup mean. Property under occupation is more common, despite the centrality of neighbourhoods, and more residents live in communal establishments than elsewhere in the Supergroup.

Wider London pattern

Adult residents of these neighbourhoods are typically aged 25 to 44, working full-time in professional, managerial or associate professional occupations. There are few families with dependent children. The predominantly Inner London neighbourhoods have an international character, including many residents born elsewhere in Europe alongside high numbers of individuals identifying as of Chinese ethnicity. Many individuals are never married, childless and/or living alone. Above average numbers of individuals, likely to be full-time students, live in communal establishments. Elsewhere, privately rented flats are the dominant housing type. Residents of these areas are well-qualified, with a significant number holding Level 4 or above qualifications. There is a correspondingly high level of individuals employed full-time in professional, managerial and associated professional or technical occupations. Employing industries are financial, real estate, professional, administration, and, to a lesser degree, transport and communications. Unemployment is uncommon.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Slane is most concentrated in decile 5 for access to healthy assets and hazards. This places the surname near the middle of the scale.

Lower deciles point towards weaker access to healthy assets or stronger exposure to local hazards. Higher deciles point towards stronger access and fewer hazards.

5
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Slane falls in decile 1 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the more deprived end of the index.

Decile 1 represents the more deprived end of the scale. Decile 10 represents the less deprived end.

1
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Slane is most associated with a typical fixed broadband download band of 30-40 mbit/s.

The scale below places that band in context, from slower local download bands through to faster ones.

6
Slower band Faster band

Area snapshot

Ethnic group estimate

Most common ethnic group estimate
White - Irish

This describes the area pattern most associated with Slane, not the ethnicity of every person with the surname.

Meaning and origin of Slane

The surname Slane originates from Ireland, where it has a long and rich history dating back to ancient times. It is derived from the Irish Gaelic word "Sláine," which means "health" or "wholeness."

In the early medieval period, the Slane surname was particularly prevalent in County Meath, where it was associated with the Hill of Slane. This hill was a significant location in Irish history, as it was the site where St. Patrick famously lit the Paschal fire in defiance of the pagan High King Laoghaire in the 5th century.

One of the earliest recorded mentions of the Slane surname can be found in the Annals of the Four Masters, a chronicle of medieval Irish history compiled in the 17th century. The text refers to the Uí Sláine, a prominent Irish clan who claimed descent from the ancient kings of Meath.

In the 12th century, the Slane family played a notable role in the Norman invasion of Ireland. During this period, a member of the family named Richard de Slane was granted lands in County Meath by King John of England.

Throughout the centuries, several notable individuals have borne the Slane surname. One of the earliest was Muircheartach Ua Sláine (fl. 10th century), an Irish poet and historian from Meath. Another was Patrick Sarsfield, 1st Earl of Lucan (c. 1660-1693), a renowned Irish Jacobite soldier who fought in the Williamite War in Ireland.

Other notable bearers of the Slane surname include Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753), an Irish physician and naturalist who founded the British Museum, and Sir Hector Sloane (1591-1646), a Scottish soldier and landowner who served as Chamberlain to King Charles I.

In more recent times, the Slane surname has been associated with the Marquesses of Slane, a noble Irish family whose ancestral seat is Slane Castle in County Meath. The current Marquess of Slane is Henry Conyngham (born 1974), who has played a role in promoting the famous Slane Concert, a long-running music festival held in the grounds of the castle.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

Back to top

Slane families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Slane surname. Use the location tables for concentration, then the name and occupation tables for the people behind the surname.

Top counties

Total is the county count. Frequency and index adjust for local population size, so they are better concentration signals. Durham leads with 33 Slanes recorded in 1881 and an index of 13.54x.

County Total Index
Durham 33 13.54x
Angus 17 22.40x
Lancashire 13 1.34x
Lanarkshire 6 2.26x
Yorkshire 4 0.49x
Derbyshire 3 2.34x
Middlesex 2 0.24x
Buckinghamshire 1 2.02x
Hampshire 1 0.60x
Northumberland 1 0.82x
Nottinghamshire 1 0.91x
Warwickshire 1 0.48x
Worcestershire 1 0.93x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Liff Benvie in Angus leads with 12 Slanes recorded in 1881 and an index of 104.17x.

Place Total Index
Liff Benvie 12 104.17x
Iveston 9 803.57x
Dawdon 8 266.67x
Glasgow 6 12.76x
Salford 6 20.99x
Dundee 5 17.65x
Hedworth Monkton Jarrow 5 47.35x
Bishopwearmouth 4 19.12x
Derby St Werburgh 3 40.49x
Manchester 3 6.86x
Usworth 3 232.56x
Liverpool 2 3.39x
Accrington 1 11.31x
Aston 1 1.76x
Benfieldside 1 62.50x
Beverley Parks 1 1000.00x
Brightside Bierlow 1 6.28x
Chelsea London 1 4.05x
Collierley 1 91.74x
Conside Knitsley 1 52.91x
Cramlington 1 62.11x
Framwellgate 1 69.44x
Habergham Eaves 1 11.26x
Holbeck 1 18.59x
Hound 1 87.72x
Middlesbrough 1 9.46x
Nottingham St Mary 1 3.50x
St Marylebone London 1 2.29x
Stourbridge 1 36.36x
Wing 1 217.39x

Top female names

These are the female first names most often recorded with the Slane surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
Mary 5
Elizabeth 4
Amelia 3
Rose 3
Sarah 3
Ann 2
Annie 2
Emily 2
Harriett 1
Helena 1
Jane 1
Susan 1
Susannah 1
Theresa 1

Top male names

These are the male first names most often recorded with the Slane surname in 1881. Names are not merged, so initials, variant spellings and transcription quirks can appear as separate rows.

Name Count
James 5
John 5
Patrick 4
William 3
Michael 2
Alex 1
Augustus 1
Charles 1
Dominick 1
Edgar 1
Henry 1
Louis 1
Matthew 1
Michall 1
Owen 1
Thomas 1
Willm. 1

Top occupations

Occupational titles are kept as recorded and later transcribed, so related jobs, spelling variants and mistakes stay separate. Scholar was the census term for a child in education. That means the other rows often tell you more about adult work in Slane households.

FAQ

Slane surname: questions and answers

How common was the Slane surname in 1881?

In 1881, 83 people were recorded with the Slane surname. That placed it at #21,808 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Slane surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 206 in 2016. That gives Slane a modern rank of #19,183.

What does the Slane surname mean?

An Irish surname derived from the placename Slane in County Meath.

What does the Slane map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Slane bearers relative to the surrounding population.

What records is this surname page based on?

The historical counts come from census surname records. The modern counts and neighbourhood summaries come from later surname distribution records. Counts are recorded bearers in those records, not a live estimate of everyone with the name today.