Show ContentsSales History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Sales

What does the name Sales mean?

The present generation of the Sales family is only the most recent to bear a name that dates back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from having lived in the county of Cheshire, where they held the estate of Sale. The surname Sales was originally derived form the Old English word soel which refers to a hall. In this case the original bearers of the surname Sales were either servants at the hall or resided near a dining hall. 1

Early Origins of the Sales family

The surname Sales was first found in Cheshire but the family can be found throughout ancient Britain in early years. The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Robert a la Sale. Placita de Quo Warranto, temp. Edward I-III lists Nicholas de la Sale, temp. 20 Edward I and William de la Sale. Robert de la Sale was Bailiff of Norwich in 1327. 2

"About the time of Edward I., Thomas, son of William De la Sale, held twelve acres of land in Ickleford, Hertfordshire. According to Cussans, the Hertfordshire Sales hailed from Scotland nearly two centuries ago, and he mentions Francis Sale, a gentleman who was married at Ashwell in 1694." 3

Early History of the Sales family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sales research. Another 66 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1590, 1612, 1652, 1655, 1659, 1664, 1670, 1671, 1675, 1682, 1697, 1734 and 1736 are included under the topic Early Sales History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sales Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Sales include Sale, Sail, Sales, Salle, Salley, Sally, Sallete, Sallett and many more.

Early Notables of the Sales family

William Sayle (c. 1590-1675), English explorer and later settler of the Bahamas, the first governor of colonial South Carolina from 1670-1671; and George Sale (1697-1736), English Orientalist and solicitor, best known for his 1734 translation of the Qur'an into English and as author of The General Dictionary, in ten volumes, folio. Kent...
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Sales Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sales Ranking

the United States, the name Sales is the 3,477th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 4 However, in France, the name Sales is ranked the 3,095th most popular surname with an estimated 2,000 - 2,500 people with that name. 5

Migration of the Sales family to Ireland

Some of the Sales family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 97 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Sales migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Sales were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Sales Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Sales who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet.
  • Mrs. Sales who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet. 7
  • Miss Phoebe Sales who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet. 7
  • John Sales, who arrived in Virginia in 1663 8
  • Roger Sales, who landed in Maryland in 1676 8
Sales Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Regino Sales, aged 30, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1838 8
  • G Sales, aged 26, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1839 8
  • Ramon Sales, who landed in Charleston, South Carolina in 1857 8
  • Salvador Sales, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1865 8

Sales migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia included the First Fleet of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

First Fleet
  • Mr. Martin Sales, British settler convicted at Kent, England in 1788, sentenced to 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the ship "Neptune, Scarborough or Surprize" leaving in 1789 arriving in New South Wales, Australia in 1790 6
Following the First Fleet, other convicts and early settlers arriving in Australia include:

Sales Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Sales migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Sales Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Eliza Sales, aged 17, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Jessie Readman" in 1872 10
  • Miss Eliza Sales, (b. 1855), aged 17, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Jessie Readman" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 14th December 1872 10
  • Henry Sales, aged 19, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cartvale" in 1874

Contemporary Notables of the name Sales (post 1700) +

  • Soupy Sales (1926-2009), born Milton Supman, American comedian, best known for his children's television show, Lunch with Soupy Sales
  • Reno Sales, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Montana, 1948 11
  • Miguel Sales, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Puerto Rico, 1904 12
  • Marcel J. Sales, American politician, Representative from Michigan 3rd District, 2004 12
  • Harry Sales, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention from Macomb County 3rd District, 1961 ; Candidate in primary for Michigan State Senate 11th District, 1962 12
  • C. M. Sales, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Kentucky, 1896 12


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  3. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  6. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 4th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships
  7. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  8. 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)
  9. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
  10. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 21) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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