NameCensus.

UK surname

Slatter

Surname likely derived from Old English 'slætan' meaning to bespatter or make dirty.

In the 1881 census there were 1,191 people recorded with the Slatter surname, ranking it #3,384 among surnames in the records. By 2016, the modern count was 1,331, ranked #4,516, down from #3,384 in 1881.

The strongest historical links point to Burmington, Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas and London parishes. In the modern distribution records, the strongest local clusters include Tewkesbury, Stratford-on-Avon and Wakefield.

Across the surname records, the highest recorded count for Slatter is 1,529 in 1911. Compared with 1881, the name has grown by 11.8%.

1881 census count

1,191

Ranked #3,384

Modern count

1,331

2016, ranked #4,516

Peak year

1911

1,529 bearers

Map years

9

1851 to 2016

Key insights

  • Slatter had 1,191 recorded bearers in 1881, making it the #3,384 surname in that year.
  • The latest modern count shown here is 1,331 in 2016, ranked #4,516.
  • Within the historical census years, the highest count was 1,529 in 1911.
  • The contemporary neighbourhood profile most associated with the surname is Rural Amenity.

Slatter surname distribution map

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

Distribution map

Slatter surname density by area, 1881 census.

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Lower densityMedium densityHigh density

Timeline

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Slatter 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 1,013 #2,755
1861 historical 854 #3,244
1881 historical 1,191 #3,384
1891 historical 1,172 #3,648
1901 historical 1,496 #3,427
1911 historical 1,529 #3,177
1997 modern 1,364 #4,218
1998 modern 1,493 #4,068
1999 modern 1,496 #4,103
2000 modern 1,474 #4,126
2001 modern 1,410 #4,198
2002 modern 1,414 #4,261
2003 modern 1,406 #4,214
2004 modern 1,408 #4,198
2005 modern 1,348 #4,314
2006 modern 1,342 #4,340
2007 modern 1,343 #4,372
2008 modern 1,350 #4,372
2009 modern 1,374 #4,392
2010 modern 1,393 #4,416
2011 modern 1,361 #4,462
2012 modern 1,344 #4,439
2013 modern 1,356 #4,480
2014 modern 1,354 #4,515
2015 modern 1,349 #4,486
2016 modern 1,331 #4,516

Geography

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Where Slatters are most common

Historical parish links are strongest around Burmington, Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas, London parishes and Haddenham. These are the places where the surname stands out most clearly in the older records.

The modern local-area list points to Tewkesbury, Stratford-on-Avon, Wakefield, West Oxfordshire and Bassetlaw. 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 Burmington Warwickshire
2 Abingdon St Helen, Abingdon St Nicholas Berkshire
3 London parishes London 1
4 Haddenham Buckinghamshire
5 London parishes London 3

Top modern areas

Rank Area District
1 Tewkesbury 003 Tewkesbury
2 Stratford-on-Avon 014 Stratford-on-Avon
3 Wakefield 009 Wakefield
4 West Oxfordshire 003 West Oxfordshire
5 Bassetlaw 016 Bassetlaw

Forenames

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First names often paired with Slatter

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

Modern profile

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Neighbourhood profile for Slatter

Modern surname records can be compared with neighbourhood classifications. For Slatter, 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

Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities

Group

Rural Amenity

Nationally, the Slatter surname is most associated with neighbourhoods classed as Rural Amenity, within Suburbanites and Peri-Urbanities. This does not mean every Slatter household fits that profile, but it gives a useful signal about where the modern surname distribution is strongest.

Read profile summary

Group profile

This Group comprises older parents or retirees, with no resident dependent children, and with the lowest residential densities in this Supergroup. Predominantly UK-born, residents typically live in detached houses, although others do live in semi-detached and terraced properties. The level of multiple car ownership is the highest in this Supergroup. Most houses are owner occupied although social renting is also present. Many concentrations occur in high amenity rural locations, such as Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

Wider pattern

Pervasive throughout the UK, members of this Supergroup typically own (or are buying) their detached, semi-detached or terraced homes. They are also typically educated to A Level/Highers or degree level and work in skilled or professional occupations. Typically born in the UK, some families have children, although the median adult age is above 45 and some property has become under-occupied after children have left home. This Supergroup is pervasive not only in suburban locations, but also in neighbourhoods at or beyond the edge of cities that adjoin rural parts of the country.

London neighbourhood type

London Output Area Classification

Supergroup

Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs

Group

London Fringe

Within London, Slatter is most associated with areas classed as London Fringe, part of Older Residents in Owner-Occupied Suburbs. 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

Predominantly located in neighbourhoods on the outskirts of Greater London, residents of these neighbourhoods typically have their highest qualifications below degree (Level 4) level, with those still in work engaged in skilled trades and occupations in distribution, hotels and restaurants. There is low ethnic diversity in these neighbourhoods and high levels of Christian religious affiliation. Detached or terraced houses predominate, often with spare rooms.

Wider London pattern

The age distribution of these neighbourhoods is skewed towards the middle-aged and old, although few residents live alone or in communal establishments and numbers of dependent children are around average. Owner occupation is the norm, as is residence in detached or semi-detached houses. Residential densities are low and many households have spare rooms. Most residents were born in the UK and, aside from some identifying as members of Chinese or Indian ethnicities, identify as White. Mixed ethnicity households are rare. Incidence of married couples is higher than average and few individuals have never been married. A large proportion of individuals still in employment work in administrative and secretarial occupations, or in the construction industry. Few residents are students, and many households own more than one car.

Healthy neighbourhoods

Access to healthy assets and hazards

Slatter is most concentrated in decile 7 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.

7
Lower access Higher access

Neighbourhood deprivation

Index of Multiple Deprivation

Slatter falls in decile 8 for neighbourhood deprivation. This puts the surname towards the less deprived end of the index.

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

8
More deprived Less deprived

Broadband speed

Fixed broadband download speed

The modern neighbourhood pattern for Slatter 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 - British

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

Meaning and origin of Slatter

The surname SLATTER has its origins in the English counties of Gloucestershire, Somerset, and Wiltshire, dating back to the late 16th century. It is believed to derive from the Middle English word "slatten," which meant to strike or slap. This suggests that the name may have initially referred to a person's occupation or behavior, perhaps a thresher or someone with a tendency for violence.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the SLATTER surname comes from the Gloucestershire parish records of 1594, where a John Slatter is mentioned. In the same century, the variant spelling "Slater" is also found in various records across the region. It's possible that these two surnames share a common root, as "slater" was an occupation referring to a roofer or someone who worked with slate.

The SLATTER name appears in the Hearth Tax records of 1672 for Somerset, indicating its presence in the area during that period. Additionally, a Thomas Slatter is listed in the 1692 Wiltshire Protestation Returns, suggesting the surname's spread across the neighboring counties.

One notable bearer of the SLATTER name was William Slatter, a prominent English architect born in 1704 in Gloucestershire. He is best known for his work on the reconstruction of the Gloucester Cathedral after it was damaged by a storm in 1736.

Another historical figure with this surname was John Slatter, an English politician born in 1767 in Somerset. He served as a Member of Parliament for Shaftesbury from 1818 to 1820.

In the 19th century, the SLATTER surname can be found in various records, including the birth of Edward Slatter in 1812 in Gloucestershire, and the marriage of James Slatter and Mary Ann Hooper in Somerset in 1845.

Across the Atlantic, the name also made its way to the United States, with one of the earliest recorded instances being the arrival of Thomas Slatter in Pennsylvania in 1683, as documented in the Colonial Immigrants records.

Throughout history, the SLATTER surname has had various spellings, such as Slater, Slatter, and Slattor, reflecting the flexibility of surname spellings in earlier times. It has also been associated with certain place names, like Slaughterford in Wiltshire, which may have influenced the name's evolution.

Sourced from namecensus.com.

1881 census detail

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Slatter families in the 1881 census

These tables use 1881 census entries for people recorded with the Slatter 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. Oxfordshire leads with 202 Slatters recorded in 1881 and an index of 28.15x.

County Total Index
Oxfordshire 202 28.15x
Gloucestershire 181 7.94x
Middlesex 136 1.17x
Warwickshire 89 3.04x
Buckinghamshire 81 11.53x
Surrey 59 1.04x
Worcestershire 59 3.89x
Shetland 50 42.14x
Berkshire 49 5.62x
Sussex 46 2.35x
Lancashire 35 0.25x
Kent 32 0.81x
Monmouthshire 19 2.26x
Essex 14 0.61x
Hertfordshire 14 1.75x
Northamptonshire 13 1.19x
Wiltshire 13 1.27x
Yorkshire 12 0.10x
Leicestershire 11 0.85x
Herefordshire 10 2.10x
Lincolnshire 10 0.54x
Bedfordshire 9 1.50x
Orkney 9 7.04x
Somerset 6 0.32x
Nottinghamshire 5 0.32x
Cheshire 4 0.16x
Derbyshire 3 0.16x
Glamorgan 3 0.15x
Pembrokeshire 3 0.81x
Staffordshire 3 0.08x
Aberdeenshire 2 0.19x
Devon 2 0.08x
Morayshire 2 1.11x
Rutland 2 2.34x
Dorset 1 0.13x
East Lothian 1 0.65x
Northumberland 1 0.06x

Top districts and towns

Districts give a more local view than counties. Total shows raw records, while frequency and index show local concentration. Tingwall in Shetland leads with 40 Slatters recorded in 1881 and an index of 674.54x.

Place Total Index
Tingwall 40 674.54x
Combe 29 1348.84x
Birmingham 23 2.36x
Cheltenham 23 13.08x
Hackney London 23 3.53x
Haddenham 23 398.61x
Leckhampton 23 163.82x
Chilton 20 1639.34x
Lambeth 18 1.78x
Burmington 17 2328.77x
Whichford 17 1055.90x
Hemel Hempstead 14 38.80x
Islington London 14 1.24x
Iver 14 154.70x
Oxford St Ebbe 14 66.29x
West Ham 14 2.77x
Cirencester 13 42.14x
Ealing 13 12.52x
Oxford St Giles 13 37.98x
Steventon 13 354.22x
Ashchurch 12 451.13x
Bledington 12 821.92x
Handborough 12 311.69x
Lower Heyford 12 574.16x
Moreton In Marsh 12 210.16x
Clapham 11 7.57x
Dumbleton 11 628.57x
Cherry Willingham 10 1612.90x
Gt Tew 10 526.32x
Hereford St Peter 10 78.55x
Upton Cum Chalvey 10 35.73x
Ampthill 9 100.22x
Bengeworth 9 172.41x
Bredon 9 173.75x
Chipping Norton 9 54.25x
Gloucester St John Baptist 9 61.18x
Hampstead London 9 4.97x
Rotherfield 9 52.17x
Bensington 8 174.67x
Brighton 8 2.02x
Croydon 8 2.55x
Deddington 8 102.70x
Deptford St Paul 8 2.62x
Lewisham 8 3.78x
Milton Under Wychwood 8 240.96x
Salford Priors 8 244.65x
Stadhampton 8 540.54x
West Derby 8 1.98x
Winchcomb 8 70.73x
Acton 7 10.28x
Barton On The Heath 7 933.33x
Clerkenwell London 7 2.55x
Epsom 7 25.37x
Evesham All Sts 7 99.01x
Gloucester Barton St Mary 7 16.79x
Greenwich 7 3.78x
Holywell 7 208.33x
Hove 7 8.14x
Hugglescote 7 36.94x
Monmouth 7 31.43x
Newent 7 60.45x
Oxford St Clement 7 38.65x
Sandsting Aitsting 7 65.12x
St Pancras London 7 0.75x
Swindon 7 8.78x
Abingdon St Helen 6 23.53x
Beckford 6 324.32x
Bridewell Precinct 6 645.16x
Dixton Hadnock 6 279.07x
Lechlade 6 128.21x
Redditch 6 19.51x
Shipston On Stour 6 86.96x
St Martin In Fields 6 8.63x
Stratton 6 217.39x
Sutton Wick 6 428.57x
Wavertree 6 13.60x
Cassington 5 375.94x
Chelsea London 5 1.43x
Long Crendon 5 106.38x
Walcot 5 5.02x

Top female names

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

Top male names

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

Name Count
William 62
Thomas 50
John 48
George 47
James 36
Charles 29
Henry 24
Joseph 22
Arthur 16
Alfred 13
Frederick 13
Edward 12
Walter 12
Ernest 9
Samuel 9
Frank 8
Richard 8
Albert 7
Robert 7
Harry 6
Fredrick 4
Benjamin 3
Edwin 3
Francis 3
Geo. 3
Jesse 3
Oliver 3
Philip 3
Sidney 3
Alexander 2
Chas. 2
Eli 2
Fredk. 2
Heber 2
Herbert 2
Isaac 2
Nathaniel 2
Stephen 2
Sydney 2
Thos. 2
Tom 2
Charley 1
Charlie 1
Edgar 1
Edwd.G. 1
Elisha 1
Emmanuel 1
Enoch 1
Harrold 1
Wm. 1

FAQ

Slatter surname: questions and answers

How common was the Slatter surname in 1881?

In 1881, 1,191 people were recorded with the Slatter surname. That placed it at #3,384 in the surname rankings for that year.

How common is the Slatter surname today?

The latest modern count shown here is 1,331 in 2016. That gives Slatter a modern rank of #4,516.

What does the Slatter surname mean?

Surname likely derived from Old English 'slætan' meaning to bespatter or make dirty.

What does the Slatter map show?

The map shows local surname concentration for the selected year. Darker areas have a stronger concentration of Slatter 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.