Sloan
Masculine · “raider”
Sloan is given to both — 2,883 boys and 8,385 girls since 1880. See Sloan as a girl nameSee other names given to both
Sloan is the Irish Ó Sluaghadháin — descendant of the raider — from sluagh, a host or an army.
How old is the name Sloan?
Sloan first appears in US birth records in 1885 — 140 years ago. The typical Sloan alive today was born around 2005, making them about 20 years old. About 2,600 people named Sloan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Sloan most popular?
Sloan peaked in 1885, reaching #936 nationally. Today it ranks #2258, 1,322 places below that high. See the whole 1885 chart.
Where it comes from
From sluagh to Sloan
The story of Sloan
Sluagh means an army and, in Highland and Irish belief, the sluagh are the host of unforgiven dead who fly in from the west. Hans Sloane's collection founded the British Museum. Sloan became an American given name for both sexes, more often feminine now, and is in current use.
Meaning
raider, man of the host
From the Irish Ó Sluaghadháin, built on sluagh, 'host' or 'army', with a diminutive. Sluagh also names the host of the restless dead in Gaelic folklore. The surname's construction is documented and the root ordinary Irish.
How the name formed
- sluagh
- Ó Sluaghadháin
- Sloan
Related forms: Sloane · Sluaghadhán
Pronouncing Sloan
SLOHN
One syllable. Sloan and Sloane are homophones; only the spelling differs.
Nicknames for Sloan
Moderate
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1885
- Most boys named
- 202194 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #936reached in 1885
- Change vs 2023
- −21.5%62 in 2025, from 79
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Sloan in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Sloane in English — spelling variant
- Sluaghadhán in Irish — related form
Strongest US states over the last decade: Texas, Florida, California.
Sloans among us
people named Sloan are estimated to be alive in the US today
About 1 boy in 27,550 born in 2025 was named Sloan
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
What happens to a name after it peaks
Fashion outlook
Sloan sits in the calm middle of the cycle — neither chasing a wave nor sliding off one. Middle-of-the-cycle names age slowly and predictably.
A scored estimate from 146 years of naming cycles — not a prophecy. Great names outlive statistics. How this is scored
Where Sloan is headed
Sloan should hold steady through 2030 — the curve is flat, and flat curves are the most predictable kind.
Medium confidence — fitted on official counts through 2025.
A damped-trend projection of the official birth data — a sketch of momentum, not a promise. Every name's forecast, ranked.
Sloan beside its neighbors
The names ranked closest to Sloan in 2025, in babies rather than position — the bars are to scale.
US boys given each name in 2025.
The trade-off
- That the sluagh are the flying host of the dead is a first-rate piece of folklore.
- One syllable, clean, and never mispronounced.
- Hans Sloane founding the British Museum is a genuinely good bearer.
- It reads as more feminine than masculine in America now.
- Sloane with an e is the commoner spelling.
- It reads as a surname either way.
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What they receive
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Sloan
Masculine · #2258 in the U.S.
Frequently asked
- How many Sloans are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 2,600 people named Sloan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Sloan in 2025?
- Sloan ranks #2258 among US boy names in 2025, with 62 babies given the name.
- How rare is the name Sloan?
- About 1 in every 27,550 US boys born in 2025 was named Sloan — 62 in all.
- Will my child share the name Sloan with classmates?
- Sloan will almost certainly be the only one in school.
Ranked beside Sloan
Names sitting at a similar level of popularity right now.
Abdallah#2258 · Kurt#2258 · Rustin#2258 · Jackie#2258 · Damion#2258 · Sahil#2258 · Clement#2258 · Genaro#2258
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Sloan? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Sloan and another name?
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US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
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