The baby name Sloane traveled from fashionable London to suburban Chicago and sunny Los Angeles before becoming a mainstream favorite.
Thanks to Christy for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day.
WHAT DOES THE NAME SLOANE MEAN?
As you can probably guess, the baby name Sloane started out as a surname.
It comes from the Gaelic O’Sluagháin – raider. As in pirate or marauder or football team.
But in the 1980s, Sloane took on a very different association, thanks to Lady Diana Spencer.
Right before she became the most famous woman in the world, Diana belonged to a circle of young, well-born Londoners. Their address of choice? A Chelsea neighborhood called Sloane Square. That, naturally, made them the Sloane Rangers.
The world watched as Lady Di married a prince in a fairytale wedding broadcast around the world. We all learned the term Sloanie – a rough equivalent of upper-class “preppy” stereotype in 1980s American parlance.
It was a bit of a negative stereotype in the moment, but it feels almost nostalgic all these years later. Just like reality series Made in Chelsea or Friends’ Greenwich Village setting, it became more than a place name.
The name honors Sir Hans Sloane, an 18th century physician and landowner. Sloane Square remains quite stylish all these years later.
SURNAME NAME
We sometimes heard Sloane as a first name long before it really caught on, just like so many surnames from Ireland and England.
The baby name Sloane debuted as a girl’s name in the US Social Security Administration data way back in 1958, with seven births.
It was used in small numbers through the 1960s and 70s. Maybe that’s down to jazz singer Carol Sloane, or some other factor.
Sloan – without the E – debuted for boys way back in 1885. Those Irish Gaelic origins suggest it’s a family last name.
While the numbers remain tiny, Sloan tended to be used for boys. Sloane leaned slightly more common for girls.
Both variations sound quite name-like, thanks to enduring classic Joan.
POP CULTURE PICK
It wasn’t much longer until Sloane transitioned to full given name status.
The year was 1986. Matthew Broderick was Ferris Bueller. And Ferris? He was taking a day off.
The John Hughes classic sent Ferris on adventures across Chicago in the company of his best friend Cameron and girlfriend Sloane.
Mia Sara played the girlfriend, wearing an unforgettable white leather fringed jacket. As high school girl characters from the 1980s go, she’s memorable for being level-headed and very kind.
The movie Ferris Bueller’s Day Off became a box office hit. Over four decades later, it remains a favorite for many.
You might expect that the name baby name Sloane would have taken off, bolstered by the combined power of Diana and Ferris. After all, Cameron got a big bump in the 80s.
That’s not what happened.
In 1980, seven girls were given the name, along with ten boys. By 1990, those numbers were 67 girls and 5 boys.
A handful of uses kept the name in the public eye, like essayist Sloane Crosley’s best-selling I Was Told There’d Be Cake.
But it would take one more pop culture push before the baby name Sloane started to climb.
FROM LONDON TO LOS ANGELES
In 2004, the world met Vincent Chase, a rising star in a fictional/but not version of Hollywood. The headliner of Entourage was, obviously, surrounded by his friends and family.
That included childhood BFF Eric, now promoted to manager. As the series progresses, we meet recurring Entourage character Sloan McQuewick, his on-again, off-again girlfriend.
That Sloan – hold the E – boosted the name. The character debuted on the HBO series in 2005. That year, the name was given to 120 girls. By 2007, that number was 217.
Long-running series Grey’s Anatomy gave us Sloan Riley, the long-lost daughter of Dr. Mark Sloan, in 2009.
The baby name Sloan also doubled in use between 2005 and 2007, going from 56 girls to 115 girls, and kept on climbing from there.
HOW POPULAR IS THE NAME SLOANE?
The baby name Sloane finally broke into the US Top 1000 in 2009, ranked at #885. Since then, it has risen steadily in use. As of 2024, the name stands at #153.
Sloan ranked #762.
In the UK, Sloane has never quite caught on, though it did rise modestly in use in recent years.
In many ways, it fits with current trends for baby girls, a sister for Harper and Quinn. And while it might sometimes be a boy name, Sloan is used almost exclusively for our daughters.
Also worth noting: the baby name Sloane has probably peaked in terms of baby name popularity. Modern parents in the United States are considering newer possibilities, like Marlowe and Ellis, that check many of the same boxes.
SLEEK SURNAME NAME
Sloane is sleek and modern, a cool and sophisticated name for a daughter. But it’s upbeat and joyful, too. And just like Blair echoes classic Claire, Sloane’s success owes a little something to the time-tested Joan.
Parents who love Harper and Grace might agree on the baby name Sloane.
It’s a sister for Sutton, an alternative to Quinn, cute for a child and sophisticated for a young woman.
If you’re after a well-established surname choice that isn’t too popular, Sloane could be the perfect name.
What do you think of the baby name Sloane?
This post was originally published on August 12, 2010. It was substantially revised and re-posted on May 30, 2016; February 24, 2022; and October 22, 2025.
My only association with the name Sloane comes from the Anne of Green Gables series. Charlie Sloane was one of Anne’s classmates, and not a particularly intelligent individual. Characters in the book often remark on the Sloanes, saying things like, “He’s such a Sloane!” or “What could you expect of a Sloane?” One of my favorite quotes says that Charlie… “fairly reeked with Sloanishness.” After he proposes to Anne (something which she insisits she never gave him reason to believe was remotely possible), she refuses him as delicately and considerately as she can because “even a Sloane had feelings which ought not to be unduly lacerated.” My childhood friend and I still describe ppl this way occastionally– as in, “What a Sloane that guy is!” LOL
Yes, Charlie Sloane and his somewhat unfortunate family are what come to my mind when I hear the name Sloane. It’s a non-starter for me as a result.
Well, being married to a Brit, sloane is a not a particularly nice thing to call someone (a la your Sloane Ranger reference)… It’s a word in our active vocabulary, as he feels there are quite a few sloaney types to deal with here and there in different areas of our lives.. wealthy (by way of birth, generally) and snooty – but this is a loose definition – basically any arrogant idiot who *aspires* to be wealthy and entitled or who thinks his or her slightly more upper-crusted middle class background is impressive and puts on airs can fall into the “sloane” category (it’s usually the aspirational sort my husband is referring to)… because of that, it’s hard to embrace the name…
I wondered about that, JNE. I’ve heard Sloanes described as the equivalent of preppies, which I never thought of as a put-down, exactly. But Sloane does seem to have more of an edge.
Yeah, to my middle-aged British ears, ‘sloane’ is entirely pejorative – entitled, oblivious and none too bright. Think Cher in ‘Clueless’ but without her redeeming features (kindness and so on). So no. Can’t embrace this as a name at all. I also don’t like the initial ‘sl-‘ which brings to mind ‘slimy’, ‘slippery’ etc. But for non-middle-aged non-Brits, Sloane could be fine! 😉
HA! Yes, I totally get the reference, but it has no sting to my American ears.
I’l never forget Arvin Sloane from Alias.:D I think it’s a good pick for people who like contemporary names.
I’m surprised you didn’t mention the Sloanes on Grey’s Anatomy in your post! 🙂 Dr. Sloane’s estranged daughter was named after him, and her first name was Sloane. I thought for sure that might have something to do with the name rising in popularity.
Ack! Forgot about them. Really. And you’re right. I was just caught up in Ferris. 😉
I concur that Sloane Peterson had a lot to do with this name’s current coolness. I was in jr high when I saw it and I thought she was SO beautiful and cool. I mean, who didn’t want to be Ferris’s girlfriend? I think the Madison factor is definitely at play with this one.
Yes on the white, fringe jacket! Mia Sara was so gorgeous and effortlessly chic. Sloane seems like the name of the nicest cool girl at school. I love it.
Loved the jacket!
Thank you so much for making Sloane the name of the day!
I disagree 100% with photoquality saying ‘someone was maybe a little silly if she were to name her daughter Sloane’. I think it is a great name and it is still at the top of our list if our child due in October is in fact a girl. And by no means do I feel that I am being silly.
Thanks again for a great post as always!
Sloane remains one of my favorites. I don’t love it with our last name, but I do have a thing for the “o” sound!
An enthusiastic & passionate vote for Sloane !
And by the way (here’s my third post already) Sloane Peterson was played by Mia Sara, and Mia was another name I thought was very cool.
I was an English major with a concentration in Creative Writing in college in the late 1990s. Sloane was a featured character in many of my short stories. I was so in love with the name. It seemed like the epitome of cool: a short, boyish name, who evoked images of a white, fringed jacket and gorgeous long hair. (Yes, that’s Sloane Peters, I’m talking about.) I also have a cousin named Sloan. A male cousin.
As an adult, I’d say this name isn’t for me. Because it recalls my less mature days, it seems like a name a teenaged mom might pick. But as a teenager, looking for “new”, interesting names for my stories, with a developing interest in naming, Sloane was The One.
So, I like it in retrospect, but would think someone was maybe a little silly if she were to name her daughter Sloane. Am I making any sense? Do I ever?
Ugh. Peterson. Typo, not misremembering!
I think it is like any name that you once loved. Even if it was never popular, or even common, it was so present in your mind that it feels over.
There was a pretty recent conversation about the name Sloan in the comments section over here:
https://www.namecandy.com/name-lady/2010/07/26/should-i-choose-a-name-my-husband-hates