The Sayles surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 5,902 people carried this name — #5,852 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 50,000 people counted. That is up 7% from 5,493 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Sayles surname

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a local name, from where the family lived: ‘at the sayles’.

An early record he cites: John le Saillur, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Sayles, Saile, Sales and Sayle.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 670 · public domain.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

60 families named Sayles, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 388 people lived in those households, 6.5 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

Rhode Island 30
New York 10
Virginia 7
North Carolina 4
Massachusetts 3
South Carolina 2
New Hampshire 1
Vermont 1
Connecticut 1
Pennsylvania 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 260 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Sayles in American newspapers,
1909–1920.

Newspaper page from Evening Journal carrying the name Sayles
Evening Journal 1920-07-23
Newspaper page from Union County Courier carrying the name Sayles
Union County Courier 1909-08-05
Newspaper page from The Lakeland Evening Telegram carrying the name Sayles
The Lakeland Evening Telegram 1915-05-29

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 55,410 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Sayles in Australian newspapers,
1860s–1950s.

1,447 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sayles. The most, 785, date from the 1900s. New South Wales has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in South Australia, at 1.5 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

New South Wales 674
South Australia 253
Victoria 227
Western Australia 178
Queensland 71
Tasmania 30
Northern Territory 8
ACT (Canberra) 1

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Sayles.

Who carried it

People named Sayles,
with a public archive behind them.

  • William Francis Sayles
    William Francis Sayles 1824–1894 · businessperson
  • Muriel Eileen MacComish d. 1977
  • Richard Sayles 1695–1775
  • Israel Sayles 1726–1801
  • Ahab Sayles 1760–1849
  • Daniel Sayles 1769–1849

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Sayles,
in the records of 5 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States579 records

579 records of the Sayles name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 206
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 137
  • U.S. veterans' cemetery records, burials to 2001 114
  • New York State death index (outside NYC), 1957–2001 67
  • Passenger arrivals in the United States, 1820–1912 38
  • U.S. alien registration index, 1940–1955 17
  1. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Frank J. Sayles

    Born 1915 in Texas. Enlisted 1942 at Houston; transport worker from Harris County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 2001, buried at Paradise North Cemetery, Houston, Texas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Susan Sayles

    Arrived at New York in 1859 aboard the Universe from Liverpool, aged 17; servant. From Ireland.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)
  3. A U.S. Army record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864
    Example: U.S. burial record, 1864
    Burial record Clare Daniel Sayles

    U.S. Air Force veteran of the Vietnam War. Born 1941, died 1999; buried at National Memorial Cemetery of Arizona, Phoenix, Arizona.

    U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)

Showing 3 of 579 records for Sayles in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Record of death and interment, Camp Nelson, Kentucky, 1864, U.S. National Archives (public domain).

Australia19 records

19 records of the Sayles name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 11
  • NSW convict, estate and railway indexes 2
  • Queensland State Archives indexes 2
  • Tasmanian Names Index 2
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 2
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record John Sayles

    Transported to New South Wales aboard the Hindostan, arriving 1821; certificate of freedom 1828.

    Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY)
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thomas Sayles

    Arrived in Queensland in 1882 aboard the Chyebassa, aged 29.

    Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Benjamin Sayles

    Gentleman of Terang, Victoria; died 1908.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 19 records for Sayles in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada7 records

7 records of the Sayles name in Canada
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 2
  • Mountain View Cemetery, Vancouver 2
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 1
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 1
  • City of Winnipeg cemetery records 1
  1. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Margaret Alexandra Sayles

    Buried in 1988 at Union Cemetery, Calgary, Alberta, aged 65.

    City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary.
  2. A Canadian First World War grave register card for a soldier who died of wounds in 1917
    Example: Canadian war grave register, 1917
    War record Horatio Sayles

    Died in service in 1918.

    Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Birth record John Henry Sayles

    Born 1920 in Truro, Colchester, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 7 records for Sayles in Canada.

Counts: City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Canadian First World War circumstances-of-death register (scan by Scottgraham87 via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom3 records

3 records of the Sayles name in the United Kingdom War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record J. B. Sayles

    Lance Corporal, York and Lancaster Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1919.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record E. Sayles

    Bombardier, Royal Field Artillery. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. W. Sayles

    Lance Corporal, King's Own (Yorkshire Light Infantry). Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

New Zealand2 records

2 records of the Sayles name in New Zealand Christchurch City cemetery records
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Irving Sayles

    Died 1914, aged 42; buried at Linwood Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 1 of 2 records for Sayles in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Sayles.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Sayles is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Sayles volume
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