The name Sloan is of Irish origin and means "raider" or "raider". It is believed to have derived from the Gaelic word "sluagh", which means "hostile band" or "army". The name was traditionally given to boys, but it has also become popular as a girls' name in recent years.
The surname Sloan is thought to have originated in County Antrim, Northern Ireland. It is believed that the name was brought to Scotland by Irish settlers who moved there during the 17th century. Today, Sloan is more commonly found as a surname than a given name, with many people of Irish descent bearing this name.
In literature and popular culture, Sloan has been used as a character name in several works. For example, Sloan is the last name of the main character in the novel "The Catcher in the Rye" by J.D. Salinger. It also appears as a given name in several other books and movies.
Based on the statistics provided, the name Sloan has seen significant fluctuations in popularity over the years in the United States.
In the early to mid-20th century, the name was quite rare, with fewer than 10 births per year recorded between 1953 and 1976. However, starting in the late 1970s, there was a noticeable increase in popularity, with the number of annual births reaching double digits.
The years 1988 to 2004 saw a consistent rise in the popularity of the name Sloan, with an average of around 50 births per year. This period also included some peaks, such as 78 births in 1998 and 87 births in 1999.
Starting in 2005, there was a significant surge in the number of babies named Sloan. Between 2005 and 2023, the annual birth count for this name ranged from a low of 421 to a high of 530, with several years exceeding 500 births.
In recent years, the popularity of the name Sloan has remained consistently high, with over 400 births recorded annually since 2016. As of 2023, the total number of babies named Sloan in the United States stands at 7,691. This demonstrates that while the name may have had a slow start, it has since become quite popular and continues to be so among American parents.