SAYLOR
The surname Saylor is a surname of English, French and Germanic origin. It is derived from occupational titles associated with maritime activity and rope manufacture, and it has persisted in the English‑speaking world for many centuries.
In the Middle English period the word sailor was used for an individual who worked on a ship or was otherwise involved in sea‑borne commerce. This form is in turn a direct descendant of the Old French word sailleur. Consequently, the surname Saylor originally denoted a person who made a living as a sailor or boatman.
The surname is also attested in German records, where it appears in variants such as Seiler, Seiller, Sieler and Seilmann. In these cases it is linked to the Middle High German word seilære, meaning a rope‑maker. Rope‑makers were essential to shipbuilding and many other medieval industries, and the name may have been applied to those who sailed by virtue of their familiarity with ropes.
The earliest documented use of a form of the name appears in Europe in the year 1291, when a man named Jakob der Seiler was recorded in Freiburg. A later instance dating to 1531 refers to Martin Seilmann of Ihringen. These early records indicate that the name had already attained a degree of hereditary use by the late Middle Ages.
In the British Isles the surname is recorded as predominantly English, with the majority of bearers residing in England. In the United States the name was brought to the colonies in the eighteenth century. The population of the Appalachian region, particularly Pennsylvania, grew substantially from families arriving in the early 1700s. By the late nineteenth century many Saylors had migrated to urban centres such as Pittsburgh and Philadelphia, and today the name can be found across the continental United States in states including California, Texas, Illinois, New York, and the original settlement areas in Pennsylvania.
Modern variations of the surname Saylor include Sailor, Seiler, Seiller, Seilmann, Seyler and other forms that reflect linguistic shifts and regional accents. All of these forms share a common occupational origin and have been preserved through the centuries as a testament to their holders' maritime and artisanal heritage.
Typical given names associated with the Saylor surname
Male
- Karl
- Thomas
Female
- Esther
- Glenna
- Lynne
Similar and related surnames
- Sailor
- Sailer
- Sahler
- Salari
- Sailers
- Salar
- Saaler
- Sailler
- Salary
- Saler
- Salera
- Saleri
- Salero
- Salier
- Saller
- Sallier
- Sallory
- Salor
- Salord
- Salour
- Salury
- Salyer
- Sayler
- Scaler
- Scaller
- Scalora
- Sealer
- Seeler
- Seiler
- Selar
- Seler
- Selier
- Seller
- Sellor
- Seyler
- Shaylor
- Sieler
- Salaria
- Saleur
- Sallares
- Sallars
- Sallers
- Sayer
- Scalera
- Seiller
- Sellar
- Sellier
- Sellors
- Selyer
- Shalor
- Shlor
- Szaler
- Zahler
- Zalar
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Saylor in...
Braille
⠎⠁⠽⠇⠕⠗
Morse
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Semaphore
There are approximately 24 people named Saylor in the UK. That makes it one of Britain's least common surnames. Fewer than one in a million people in Britain are named Saylor.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
