Show ContentsSloane History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The name Sloane was first used by the people of an ancient Scottish tribe called the Strathclyde Britons. It is derived from the Gaelic personal name Sluaghadhán. Sloane is a patronymic surname, which belongs to the category of hereditary surnames. The surname Sloane is derived from the given name Sluaghadhán, which derived from the Gaelic word, sluaghadh, and meant, raid.

Early Origins of the Sloane family

The surname Sloane 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 Sloane family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sloane 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 Sloane History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sloane Spelling Variations

Before the printing press standardized spelling in the last few hundred years, no general rules existed in the English language. Spelling variations in Scottish names from the Middle Ages are common even within a single document. Sloane has been spelled Sloan, Sloane, Slowan and others.

Early Notables of the Sloane family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • Sir Hans Sloane (1660-1753), 1st Baronet, Irish-born Scottish collector and physician, famous for bequeathing his collection to the British nation which became the foundation of the British Museum, e...

Sloane Ranking

In the United States, the name Sloane is the 11,951st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Ireland Migration of the Sloane family to Ireland

Some of the Sloane 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.


United States Sloane migration to the United States +

For Scottish immigrants, the great expense of travel to North America did not seem such a problem in those unstable times. Acres of land awaited them and many got the chance to fight for their freedom in the American War of Independence. These Scots and their ancestors went on to play important roles in the forging of the great nations of the United States and Canada. Among them:

Sloane Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Sloane, who landed in Maryland in 1674 3
Sloane Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Patrick Sloane, who landed in Virginia in 1723 3
  • Robert Sloane, who arrived in America in 1795 3
Sloane Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Martha Sloane, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 3
  • James Sloane, who arrived in New York, NY in 1812 3
  • William Sloane, aged 24, who landed in New York, NY in 1834 3
  • G P Sloane, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 3

Canada Sloane migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sloane Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Michael Sloane, aged 23 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Julius Caesar" departing from the port of Liverpool, England but died on Grosse Isle in September 1847 4

Australia Sloane migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Sloane Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. William Sloane, English convict who was convicted in Bristol, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Baring" in December 1818, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
  • James Sloane, English convict from Surrey, who was transported aboard the "Adamant" on March 16, 1821, settling in New South Wales, Australia 6
  • James Sloane, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Poictiers" in 1848 7

New Zealand Sloane migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Sloane Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. W. B. Sloane, Cornish settler travelling from Launceston aboard the ship "Halcyon" arriving in New Zealand in 1851 8
  • William Sloane, aged 37, a labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred" in 1864 9
  • Mary Ann Sloane, aged 25, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Alfred" in 1864 9
  • Nicholas Sloane, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "British King" in 1883
  • Betsy Sloane, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "British King" in 1883
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Sloane (post 1700) +

  • Carol Sloane (1937-2023), American jazz singer, born in Providence, Rhode Island
  • William H. Sloane, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1912 10
  • Ted Sloane, American Republican politician, Member of Iowa State House of Representatives from Polk County; Elected 1950 10
  • Jonathan Sloane (1785-1854), American politician, Member of Ohio State Legislature; U.S. Representative from Ohio 15th District, 1833-37 10
  • John A. Sloane, American Republican politician, Mayor of Warsaw, Indiana, 1921-25 10
  • John Sloane (1779-1856), American politician, Member of Ohio State House of Representatives, 1803-05, 1807 10
  • Harvey I. Sloane (b. 1936), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Louisville, Kentucky, 1973-77, 1982-85; Candidate in primary for Governor of Kentucky, 1979, 1983; Jefferson County Judge-Executive, 1986-89 10
  • Mrs. George Sloane, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Virginia, 1940 10
  • Charles B. Sloane, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Connecticut State House of Representatives from Hebron, 1918 10
  • Charles A. Sloane, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Schuyler County, 1898-99 10
  • ... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Leonard Hanson Sloane, English Junior Assistant Purser from Liverpool, England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 11


  1. 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)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  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)
  4. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 55)
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 16th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/baring
  6. State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Adamant voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1821 with 144 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/adamant/1821
  7. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) POICTIERS 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Poictiers.htm
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. Archives New Zealand Micro 5019. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Alfred. Retrieved from http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ourstuff/Alfred1864.htm
  10. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 3) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  11. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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