Slater is an English occupational surname for a "slate roofer", someone who laid slate tiles on roofs, and it joins Mason, Cooper and Fletcher among the trade names now used as first names. Actor Christian Slater and the jock A.C. Slater from Saved by the Bell made the surname familiar to Americans. Slater has climbed from number 2,559 in 2015 to number 1,275 in 2025, its best rank so far.