SLATTER
Slatter is a surname of English origin, emerging as an occupational name for those engaged in laying slate on roofs. The modern spelling, often seen as Slatterns or Sclater, reflects the evolution of Middle English orthography.
The name derives from the Old English word slætere, meaning “slater” or a person who applies slate tiles. In the Middle Ages the term *slate* itself was borrowed from Old French esclate, and the agent suffix -er indicated a professional role. Thus the surname literally signified a craftsman working with slate.
Initial documentary references date to the mid 13th century. Examples include Adam le Sclattere of Oxfordshire, recorded in 1273, and Thomas Slater of Yorkshire in 1297. Scottish occurrences appear in the 15th century, with figures such as Henry Sclatur in the 1399 Burgh of Aberdeen council register and John Sclater in Arbroath in 1458. The earliest attested form of the family name is Thomas le Sclatere, dated 1255 in Worcestershire.
The surname was widely represented in church registers across England, Scotland and the Irish province of Leinster. Following the Cromwellian Plantations it gained particular prominence in the counties of Louth and Longford and remains common in Dublin. Marriages recorded at St. Mary Woolnoth in London on 23 May 1554 and at St. Mary’s, Dublin on 16 January 1700 bear the name Slatter, illustrating its continued presence into the early modern period.
In addition to the standard form, multiple variants are documented. These include Slater, Slator, Sclater and, less frequently, Slate. Each variant reflects regional pronunciation and spelling practices of the time, while the core occupational meaning persists across them.
Today the surname is uncommon but remains distributed across the United Kingdom, with particular concentrations in Scotland’s Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire, and in parts of Ireland’s Leinster province. Its persistent association with the specialised craft of slate roof-laying links modern bearers to a long line of skilled artisans in medieval Britain.
Typical given names associated with the Slatter surname
Male
- Andrew
- Barrie
- Christopher
- David
- Ian
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
Female
- Elizabeth
- Emma
- Jane
- Janet
- Joanne
- Margaret
- Mary
- Michelle
- Patricia
- Rachel
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Sclater
- Slater
- Slaughter
- Salter
- Schlatter
- Schlater
- Sclatter
- Scleater
- Selater
- Slaiter
- Slateray
- Slaterry
- Slaters
- Slatery
- Slather
- Slathers
- Slator
- Slatterie
- Slatterley
- Slatterly
- Slatters
- Slattery
- Slatyer
- Slauter
- Slayter
- Slaytor
- Sleater
- Sleator
- Sleeter
- Sleter
- Sletter
- Slotter
- Slutter
- Saltters
- Sealter
- Slatt
- Slader
- Slagter
- Sluter
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Slatter in...
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There are approximately 2,001 people named Slatter in the UK. That makes it roughly the 4,217th most common surname in Britain. Around 31 in a million people in Britain are named Slatter.
Surname type: Occupational name
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Slatter
- Neil Slatter - Welsh football player
- Les Slatter - Football player
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.