Show ContentsSandy History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Anglo-Saxon name Sandy comes from when the family resided in the residence that was near the sands. Sandy is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. During the Middle Ages people were very conscious of the variations in their surroundings including the soil types. In this case the original bearers of the surname Sandy were named due to their close proximity to the sands.

Early Origins of the Sandy family

The surname Sandy was first found in Worcestershire at Wickhamford, a parish, in the union of Evesham, Upper division of the hundred of Blackenhurst. "The church [of Wickhamford] is an exceedingly neat edifice, with a simple unpretending tower which rises prettily above the trees that environ it: in the chancel are two enriched altar-tombs with effigies in alabaster, in memory of the Sandys family, whose descendant, Lord Sandys, in 1841 repaired the entire church." 1 "About a mile from the church [of Woodham-Ferris in Essex] is Edwin Hall, a handsome mansion erected by Edwin Sandys, Archbishop of York." 1

"At Lanarth, [in the parish of St. Keverne, Cornwall] which has been in possession of the Sandys family upwards of a century, an elegant house has been lately built by its present proprietor Lieutenant Colonel William Sandys, who spent the spring of his life in India, in those active scenes which mark and diversify the military occupation. His house, gardens, and grounds, have been raised to their present state of perfection at a vast expence; and they include every convenience which a retired situation can be expected to secure." 2

Early History of the Sandy family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sandy research. Another 135 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1377, 1519, 1559, 1560, 1570, 1576, 1577, 1586, 1588, 1591, 1607, 1609, 1614, 1615, 1621, 1622, 1623, 1640, 1642, 1644, 1660, 1661, 1669, 1681, 1685, 1702 and 1708 are included under the topic Early Sandy History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sandy Spelling Variations

Before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago, spelling variations of names were a common occurrence. Elements of Latin, French and other languages became incorporated into English through the Middle Ages, and name spellings changed even among the literate. The variations of the surname Sandy include Sandys, Sands, Sandy and others.

Early Notables of the Sandy family

Notables of the family at this time include

  • Edwin Sandys (1519-1588), an English prelate, Bishop of Worcester (1559-1570), London (1570-1576) and Archbishop of York (1576-1588) Archbishop of York
  • Sir Samuel Sandys (1560-1623), an English landowner and politician, Member of Parliament for Ripon (1586) and Worcestershire (1609-1622)
  • Sir Edwin Sandys (1591-1623), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Droitwich (1614) and Pontefract (1621-1622)
  • Sir Samuel Sandys (1615-1685), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Droitwich (1640-1642), (1681-1685) and 1660, for Worcestershire (1661-1681)

Sandy Ranking

In the United States, the name Sandy is the 5,477th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 3

Ireland Migration of the Sandy family to Ireland

Some of the Sandy 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.


United States Sandy migration to the United States +

A great wave of immigration to the New World was the result of the enormous political and religious disarray that struck England at that time. Families left for the New World in extremely large numbers. The long journey was the end of many immigrants and many more arrived sick and starving. Still, those who made it were rewarded with an opportunity far greater than they had known at home in England. These emigrant families went on to make significant contributions to these emerging colonies in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers carried this name or one of its variants:

Sandy Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Sandy, who landed in Virginia in 1666 4
  • Mary Sandy, who arrived in Maryland in 1675 4
  • Elizabeth Sandy, who arrived in Maryland in 1675 4
Sandy Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Arthur Sandy, (b. 1870), aged 22, Cornish gardener travelling aboard the ship "City of New York" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 9th June 1892 en route to New York, USA 5

Australia Sandy migration to Australia +

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

Sandy Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Sandy, (b. 1810), aged 23 born in Fowey, Cornwall, UK convicted in Cornwall on 31st July 1833, sentenced for death reduced to life for stealing apparel, transported aboard the ship "Moffatt" in 1834 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 6
  • Mr. James Sandy (b. 1810), aged 23, Cornish settler convicted in Cornwall, UK on 31st July 1833, sentenced for life for stealing apparel from the house of John Swigs at Lanteglos, transported aboard the ship "Moffatt" on 4th January 1834 to Van Diemen's Land, Tasmania, Australia 7
  • William Sandy, aged 20, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Standard" 8
  • Mr. Peter Sandy, (b. 1848), aged 29, Cornish Smith travelling aboard the ship "La Hogue" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 15th November 1877 9
  • Mrs. Miriam Sandy, (b. 1844), aged 33, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "La Hogue" arriving in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia on 15th November 1877 9
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

New Zealand Sandy 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:

Sandy Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • William Sandy, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Zealandia" in 1861

West Indies Sandy migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 10
Sandy Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • Robert Sandy, who settled in Barbados in 1685

Contemporary Notables of the name Sandy (post 1700) +

  • Gary Sandy (b. 1945), American actor, best known for his starring role as Andy Travis on the television sitcom WKRP in Cincinnati
  • John Sandy (b. 1948), American Republican politician, Presidential Elector for Idaho, 1996; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Idaho, 2004, 2008 11
  • George C. Sandy, American politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 16th District, 1940 11
  • Dwayne Sandy (1989-2021), St. Vincent football player for the Saint Vincent and the Grenadines national football team
  • Marco Antonio Sandy Sansusty (b. 1971), former Bolivian football defender
  • Kurnia Sandy (b. 1975), Indonesian retired football goalkeeper
  • Isabelle Sandy (1884-1975), French poet and writer
  • Casey Sandy (b. 1984), Canadian gymnast who competed for Penn State from 2006 to 2009
  • Alexander Sandy Kemper (b. 1965), American entrepreneur
  • Henry Sandy Jacobs (1924-2015), American sound artist and humorist

Halifax Explosion
  • Mr. Adam  Sandy (1872-1917), Canadian stationed with 114th Battalion #6 Special Service from Oshwekan, Ontario, Canada  who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 12


The Sandy Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Probum non poenitet
Motto Translation: We do not repent of what is good.


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Hutchins, Fortescue, The History of Cornwall, from the Earliest Records and Traditions to the Present Time. London: William Penaluna, 1824. Print
  3. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  4. 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)
  5. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
  6. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/tasmanian_convicts_cornish.pdf
  7. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 30th May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_convicts.pdf
  8. South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) STANDARD 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/standard1852.shtml
  9. Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 19). Emigrants to Australia NSW 1860 -88 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/nsw_passenger_lists_1860_88.pdf
  10. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  11. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  12. Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance


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