Slim History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

A people of the Scottish/English Borderlands known as the Strathclyde Britons were the first to use the name Slim. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name Sluaghadhán. Slim is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. The surname Slim is derived from the given name Sluaghadhán, which derived from the Gaelic word, sluaghadh, and meant, raid.

Early Origins of the Slim family

The surname Slim was first found in Kirkcudbrightshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Chille Chuithbheirt), part of the present day Council Area of Dumfries and Galloway, former county in Southwestern Scotland, where they held a family seat. Johnn Slowane of Garoche was a juror on assize at Kirkcudbright in 1508.

Other early records include a William Slowane, who held a tenement near Dalkeith, in Midlothian in 1504.

The name has also existed in Ireland since at least the 15th Century, when bearers of Sloane emigrated to eastern Ulster, in Armagh and Down. However, there is some debate that the name also has native Irish roots, and had existed in Ireland prior to this emigration.

One source notes that the name is "from Irish O'Sluaghain, for O'Sluaghadain, 'descendant of SLaghadan,' probably a variant of O'Sluaghodhaigh, from the MIr. personal name Sluagadach, leader of a military expedition.' " 1

Early History of the Slim family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Slim research. Another 195 words (14 lines of text) covering the years 1531, 1542, 1562, 1565, 1567, 1568, 1590, 1613, 1616, 1659, 1660, 1727, 1741, 1753 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Slim History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Slim Spelling Variations

Spelling and translation were hardly exact sciences in Medieval Scotland. Sound, rather than any set of rules, was the basis for spellings, so one name was often spelled different ways even within a single document. Spelling variations are thus an extremely common occurrence in Medieval Scottish names. Slim has been spelled Sloan, Sloane, Slowan and others.

Early Notables of the Slim family

Another 40 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Slim Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Slim family to Ireland

Some of the Slim family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 111 words (8 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Slim migration to the United States +

Such hard times forced many to leave their homeland in search of opportunity across the Atlantic. Many of these families settled along the east coast of North America in communities that would become the backbones of the young nations of the United States and Canada. The ancestors of many of these families have rediscovered their roots in the 20th century through the establishment of Clan societies and other patriotic Scottish organizations. Among them:

Slim Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Slim, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 2
Peter Slim, who landed in New Jersey in 1769 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Slim (post 1700) +

Mongi Slim (1908-1969), Tunisian diplomat, the first African to become the President of the United Nations General Assembly in 1961
Field Marshal William Joseph "Bill" Slim KG, GCB, GCMG, GCVO, GBE, DSO, MC, KStJ (1891-1970), 1st Viscount Slim, an English officer, diplomat and author, 13th Governor-General of Australia (1953-1960); he wrote novels, short stories, and other publications under the pen name Anthony Mills
Slim Pickens (1919-1983), stage name of Louis Burton Lindley, Jr., American actor and cowboy best remembered for his comic roles, notably in Dr. Strangelove and Blazing Saddles
Slim Summerville (1892-1946), born George Joseph Somerville, an American film actor and director best known for his work in comedies
Slim Chaker (1961-2017), Tunisian politician, Minister of Youth and Sports (2011), Minister of Finance (2015–2016) and Minister of Public Health (2017)
Slim Willet (1919-1966), born Winston Lee Moore, an American disc jockey, musician, and songwriter, inducted into the Country Music DJ Hall of Fame in 1994
Slim Gaut (1893-1964), American film actor who appeared in over 15 films between 1940 and 1956

Citations +

Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)