The surname Saylors 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 Saylors family
The surname Saylors 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]CITATION[CLOSE]
Lowe, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Early History of the Saylors family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Saylors research.
Another 183 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1275, 1327, 1327 and 1790 are included under the topic Early Saylors History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Saylors Spelling Variations
Anglo-Norman names tend to be marked by an enormous number of
spelling variations. This is largely due to the fact that Old and Middle English lacked any spelling rules when Norman French was introduced in the 11th century. The languages of the English courts at that time were French and Latin. These various languages mixed quite freely in the evolving social milieu. The final element of this mix is that medieval scribes spelled words according to their sounds rather than any definite rules, so a name was often spelled in as many different ways as the number of documents it appeared in. The name was spelled Saylor, Sayler, Saylur, Sailor, Sailer and others.
Early Notables of the Saylors family (pre 1700)
More information is included under the topic Early Saylors Notables in all our
PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Migration of the Saylors family to Ireland
Some of the Saylors 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.
Migration of the Saylors family to the New World and Oceana
Because of the political and religious discontent in
England, families began to migrate abroad in enormous numbers. Faced with persecution and starvation at home, the open frontiers and generally less oppressive social environment of the New World seemed tantalizing indeed to many English people. The trip was difficult, and not all made it unscathed, but many of those who did get to Canada and the United States made important contributions to the young nations in which they settled. Some of the first North American settlers with Saylors name or one of its variants: Arthur Saylor, who came to Virginia in 1642; Robert Saylor, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1682, Henry Saylor, who arrived in Schaefferstown, PA in 1767.