Sloan is an Irish surname, from Ó Sluaghadháin, built on the Gaelic word sluaghadh, "raid" or "military expedition", so it is usually read as "raider" or "warrior". It belongs to the sleek surname style that American parents have taken to for girls, alongside Blair, Quinn and Reese. Sloan entered the US top 1000 for girls in 2011, peaked at number 572 in 2021 and ranks number 840 in 2025, while the spelling Sloane is more common.