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Saville History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Saville History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

Saville is a name that was brought to England by the ancestors of the Saville family when they migrated to the region after the Norman Conquest in 1066. The Saville family lived in Yorkshire. Their name, however, is a reference to Saville, in Anjou, France, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066. 1

Roger and Gerard de Sevele or Savale occur in the Norman Exchequer Rolls of 1180-95. 2

Early Origins of the Saville family

The surname Saville was first found in Yorkshire where "the family of Savile was one of the most illustrious in the West Riding. Some writers have fancifully ascribed to it an Italian origin, but it probably had its rise at Silkston, in this county." 3

More specifically, many of the family held estates at Morley, a township and ecclesiastical district, in the parish of Batley, union of Dewsbury. In the war during the reign of Charles I., Howley Hall, here, for eighteen generations the seat of the Saville family, was garrisoned for the parliament; and the church of the ancient parish of Morley was let on lease by Saville, Earl of Sussex, to the Presbyterian party for 500 years: the building is still in possession of trustees as an Independent meetinghouse, forming a solitary exception to the general restitution which took place at the Restoration." 4

Stainland in the West Riding of Yorkshire was an ancient family seat. "Bradley Hall, here, the seat of the ancestors of the Earl of Mexborough, which was burnt down in 1629, and subsequently rebuilt, is now a farmhouse." 4

Thornhill, again in the West Riding was home to a branch of the family. "This place was the seat of the Thornhill family, for many generations proprietors of the manor, which was conveyed by marriage in 1404 to the Savilles, from whom the estate descended to the second son of Sir George Saville's sister: that lady had been married to Richard, Earl of Scarborough, ancestor of the present owner. The church is an ancient and venerable structure, chiefly in the early English style, with a square embattled tower: on the south side of the chancel is a chapel containing numerous monuments to the Saville family, one of which, entirely of oak, has the effigies of Sir John Saville and his two wives." 4

Early History of the Saville family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Saville research. Another 115 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1253, 1612, 1633, 1640, 1641, 1642, 1644, 1665, 1673, 1679, 1680, 1687, 1695 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Saville History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Saville Spelling Variations

Norman surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are largely due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England, as well as the official court languages of Latin and French, also had pronounced influences on the spelling of surnames. Since medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings. The name has been spelled Savile, Savill, Saville, Seville and others.

Early Notables of the Saville family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir George Savile, 1st Baronet; Sir William Savile, 3rd Baronet (1612-1644), an English politician, Member of Parliament for Yorkshire in 1640 and Old Sarum (1641-1642); George Savile, 1st Marquess of...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Saville Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Saville Ranking

In the United States, the name Saville is the 7,943^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Saville migration to the United States +

Many English families emigrated to North American colonies in order to escape the political chaos in Britain at this time. Unfortunately, many English families made the trip to the New World 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 stormy Atlantic. Despite these hardships, many of the families prospered and went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the United States and Canada. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the name Saville or a variant listed above:

Saville Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John and Thomas Saville, who settled in Virginia in 1772

Saville Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Jeremiah and Joseph Saville and their children settled in Baltimore in 1823
D Saville, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1855 6

Saville migration to Australia +

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

Saville Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Benjamin Saville, English convict from Essex, who was transported aboard the "Andromeda" on November 13, 1832, settling in New South Wales, Australia 7
Mr. Robert Saville, English convict who was convicted in Liverpool, Lancashire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Barossa" on 27th August 1841, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 8
Miss Jane Saville who was convicted in Liverpool, Merseyside, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cadet" on 4th September 1847, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 9
James Saville, aged 28, a farm labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1852 aboard the ship "Gloucester" 10
William Saville, aged 44, who arrived in South Australia in 1853 aboard the ship "Shackamaxon" 11
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Saville 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:

Saville Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Stephen Saville, aged 38, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1875
Isabella Saville, aged 38, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1875
James Saville, aged 11, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1875
Benjamin Saville, aged 10, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1875
John Saville, aged 14, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Berar" in 1875
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Saville (post 1700) +

Major-General Gordon Philip Saville (1902-1984), American Deputy Chief of Staff for Development, Headquarters US Air Force (1950-1951) 12
Marshall Howard Saville (1867-1935), American archaeologist
Michael Saville, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 2000 13
Kathleen Saville, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from California, 2004 13
James Burr Saville (1891-1972), American Democratic Party politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Hampshire County, 1935-36; Member of West Virginia Democratic State Executive Committee, 1945-49 13
Gary Saville, American politician, Candidate in primary for Mayor of Sandy, Utah, 1989 13
Carl Saville, American Republican politician, Chair of Hampshire County Republican Party, 1973 13
George Alan Saville (b. 1993), English professional footballer
Leonard Malcolm Saville (1901-1982), English author
Peter Francis Saville (1946-2022), British chartered occupational psychologist who specialized in psychometrics, personality and talent management
... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Cleveland, Dutchess of The Battle Abbey Roll with some Account of the Norman Lineages. London: John Murray, Abermarle Street, 1889. Print. Volume 3 of 3
Shirley, Evelyn Philip, The Noble and Gentle Men of England; The Arms and Descents. Westminster: John Bower Nichols and Sons, 1866, Print.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, 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)
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2014, November 27) Andromeda voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1832 with 186 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/andromeda/1832
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 24th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barossa
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cadet/
South Australian Register Tuesday 3 February 1852. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) GLOUCESTER 1852. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/anglia1852.shtmL
South Australian Register Thursday 20 January 1853. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) SHACKAMAXON 1853. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/shackamaxon1853.shtml
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2014, March 26) Gordon Saville. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Saville/Gordon_Philip/USA.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html