Show ContentsSlane History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The distinguished surname Slane emerged among the industrious people of Flanders, which was an important trading partner and political ally of Britain during the Middle Ages. As a result of the frequent commercial intercourse between the Flemish and English nations, many Flemish migrants settled in Britain. In early times, people were known by only a single name. However, as the population grew and people traveled further afield, it became increasingly necessary to assume an additional name to differentiate between bearers of the same personal name. The manner in which hereditary surnames arose is interesting. Local surnames are derived from where the original bearer lived, was born, or held land. Flemish surnames of this type frequently are prefixed by de la or de le, which mean of the or from the. The Slane family originally lived in some place which experts suggest was named Slanie or Slaney. The surname Slane belongs to the category of habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads, or other places.

Early Origins of the Slane family

The surname Slane was first found in Shropshire where they held a family seat from early times. Rodolphe de Slanie or Slane accompanied the Empress Maude into England about the year 1110.

Over in Ireland, Philip of Slade (died 1326), was Bishop of Cork, born at Slane in Meath. "He became a Dominican friar, and on 20 Feb. 1321 was papally provided to the bishopric of Cork, receiving the temporalities on 17 July following. " 1

Early History of the Slane family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Slane research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1595 and 1631 are included under the topic Early Slane History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Slane Spelling Variations

Flemish surnames are characterized by a large number of spelling variations. One reason for this is that medieval English lacked definite spelling rules. The spellings of surnames were also influenced by the official court languages, which were French and Latin. Names were rarely spelled consistently in medieval times. Scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to specific spelling rules, and people often had their names registered in several different forms throughout their lives. One of the greatest reasons for change is the linguistic uniqueness of the Flemish settlers in England, who spoke a language closely related to Dutch. The pronunciation and spelling of Flemish names were often altered to suit the tastes of English-speaking people. In many cases, the first, final, or middle syllables of surnames were eliminated. The name has been spelled Slaney, Slanie, Slane, Slayney and others.

Early Notables of the Slane family

Prominent in the family at this time was

  • Sir Stephen Slaney of Hatton Grange

Slane Ranking

In the United States, the name Slane is the 14,177th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Ireland Migration of the Slane family to Ireland

Some of the Slane family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 31 words (2 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Slane migration to the United States +

Study of Passenger and Immigration lists has revealed that among early immigrants bearing the Slane surname were:

Slane Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Manus Slane, aged 40, who arrived in New York in 1812 3
  • Timothy Slane, who settled in Philadelphia in 1840
  • Daniel Slane, who settled in Philadelphia in 1855
Slane Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Mary Slane, aged 25, originally from Gortnagarrow, Ireland, who arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Caronia" from Liverpool, England 4
  • Mary E Slane, aged 30, who arrived in New York, N.Y. in 1920 aboard the ship "Munamar" from Antilla, Cuba 4
  • Paul P. Slane, aged 19, arrived in New York in 1920 aboard the ship "Buford" from Cristobal, C.Z. 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Slane (post 1700) +

  • Willis Slane, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Carolina, 1944 5
  • Ben F. Slane, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Hampshire County, 1952, 1956 5
  • Sir Bruce Houlton Slane KNZM CBE (1931-2017), New Zealand public servant, 1st Privacy Commissioner of New Zealand (1993-2003)


The Slane Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Deo duce comite industria
Motto Translation: God is my guide, industry my companion.


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  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. Ellis Island Search retrieved 15th November 2022. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook