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Sarah Family History

Sarah Surname Meaning

Americanized form of Italian Sara 1 and Hungarian Sára influenced by the English form of the Biblical personal name Sarah. English (Cornwall and Devon): variant of Sare with final -e spelled -a(h) (see Sara) a common feature of names in Devon and Cornwall.

Spellings of the surname with -ah may have been influenced by the form of the personal name in the King James Bible. Muslim: from a variant of the Arabic personal name Sāra of Biblical origin (see Sara).

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


Similar surnames: 

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Where is the Sarah family from?

You can see how Sarah families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Sarah family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Sarah families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 184 Sarah families living in London. This was about 23% of all the recorded Sarah's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Sarah families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Sarah surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Sarah ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, Dairy Farmer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Sarah. 50% of Sarah men worked as a Dairy Farmer and 68% of Sarah women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Sarah were Farm Labourer and Domestic Servant.

View Census Data for Sarah | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1939

  • Dairy Farmer
    50%
  • Farm Labourer
    50%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    68%
  • Incapacitated
    4%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    4%
  • Domestic Servant
    3%

What Sarah family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 52,000 census records available for the last name Sarah. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Sarah census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Sarah

Passenger Lists

There are 5,000 immigration records available for the last name Sarah. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Sarah immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 4,000 military records available for the last name Sarah. For the veterans among your Sarah ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Sarah military records

You've only scratched the surface of Sarah family history

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What is the average Sarah lifespan?

Between 1966 and 2004, in the United States, Sarah life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1969, and highest in 1990. The average life expectancy for Sarah in 1966 was 73, and 67 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Sarah

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Sarah ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Sarah family tree

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