Show ContentsSally History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Sally

What does the name Sally mean?

The ancestors of the bearers of the Sally family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in the county of Cheshire, where they held the estate of Sale. The surname Sally was originally derived form the Old English word soel which refers to a hall. In this case the original bearers of the surname Sally were either servants at the hall or resided near a dining hall. 1

Early Origins of the Sally family

The surname Sally 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 Sally family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sally 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 Sally History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sally Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Sally include Sale, Sail, Sales, Salle, Salley, Sally, Sallete, Sallett and many more.

Early Notables of the Sally 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 Sally Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Sally family to Ireland

Some of the Sally 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.


Sally migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Sally or a variant listed above:

Sally Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Sally, who arrived in Maryland in 1673 4
  • Edmd Sally, who landed in Virginia in 1695 4
Sally Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Jacob, John, Patrick and William Sally, who settled in Philadelphia between 1840 and 1870

Contemporary Notables of the name Sally (post 1700) +

  • Irma Sally Rochlin (1924-2025), American nurse and politician in the state of Florida
  • Mrs. Katherine Sally McMath O.B.E., British County President for Girlguiding West Lothian, appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Girlguiding and to the community in West Lothian 5
  • Ms. Eleanor Sally Johnson O.B.E., British Director of Organ Donation and Transplantation for NHS Blood and Transplant, appointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire on 8th June 2018, for services to Organ Donors and Recipients 6
  • Dorothy Sally Eilers (1908-1978), American actress who appeared in 68 films, perhaps best known for her roles in Bad Girl (1931), The Black Camel (1931) and State Fair (1933)
  • Christina Sally Kirkman (b. 1993), American teen actress and comedian
  • Sally Margaret Field (b. 1946), American actress, singer, producer, director, and screenwriter, recipient of two Academy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Golden Globe Awards, a Screen Actors Guild Award, and nominations for a Tony award, and two British Academy Film Awards
  • Sally Kirkland Jr. (1941-2025), American actress and producer, part of 1960s New York avant-garde theater, appeared in more than 250 film and television productions during a 60-year career including “The Sting” and “JFK”
  • Sally Jane Mackereth (b. 1966), [citation needed] is a British architect in London, co-founder of Wells Mackereth before creating Studio Mackereth in 2013
  • Sally Menke (1953-2010), American Academy Award and BAFTA Award nominated film editor


  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. 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. "Birthday and New Year Honours Lists (1940 to 2019)." Issue 62507, 28 December 2018 | London Gazette, The Gazette, Dec. 2018, www.thegazette.co.uk/honours-lists


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