Sailer History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The surname Sailer is derived from the Old Norman French word "sailleor," which denotes a "leaper" or "dancer." Thus the name was most likely originally born by someone whose occupation was that of a dancer or entertainer.

Early Origins of the Sailer family

The surname Sailer was first found in Yorkshire where Herbert le Sayllur was on record in "Early Yorkshire Charters" dating from 1191 to 1210. "The surname is very rare indeed. This is not a little singular, considering the commonness of the employment. In the Hundredorum Rolls we have it in the forms of Le Sailliur, Le Saylliur, and Le Saler." 1

Early History of the Sailer family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sailer research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1275, 1327 and 1790 are included under the topic Early Sailer History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sailer Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Saylor, Sayler, Saylur, Sailor, Sailer and others.

Early Notables of the Sailer family

More information is included under the topic Early Sailer Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sailer Ranking

In the United States, the name Sailer is the 17,580^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 2

Migration of the Sailer family to Ireland

Some of the Sailer family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sailer migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Sailer or a variant listed above:

Sailer Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Abraham Sailer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1740 3
Hans Sailer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1740 3
George Sailer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1743 3
Johan Wilhelm Sailer, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1743 3
Philip Sailer, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1761 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sailer Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jean Sailer, aged 17, who landed in New York, NY in 1848 3
Barbara Sailer, aged 6, who landed in New York, NY in 1848 3
Catherine Sailer, aged 4, who arrived in New York, NY in 1848 3
Elisabeth Sailer, aged 14, who landed in New York, NY in 1848 3
Ferdinand Sailer, who arrived in New York, NY in 1848 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Sailer (post 1700) +

Steven Ernest Sailer (b. 1958), American journalist and movie critic
R. J. Sailer, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Dakota, 1948 4
Ed Sailer, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from North Dakota, 1952 4
Verena Sailer (b. 1985), German sprinter
Anton Engelbert "Toni" Sailer (1935-2009), Austrian alpine ski racer with 3 Olympic Golds and 7 World Championship Golds

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 26) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html