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Sawyer Family History

Sawyer Surname Meaning

English: occupational name for someone who earned his living by sawing wood from Middle English sauer(e) sauw(i)er also sagh(i)er sag(i)er ‘sawyer’ a derivative of Old English sagu ‘saw’.

Americanized form of some similar (like-sounding) Jewish surname or translation into English of Jewish Seger or some other surname meaning ‘sawyer’ e.g. German Sager and Slovenian Žagar (see Zagar).

In some cases also an Americanized form of French Séguin (see Seguin).

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


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Where is the Sawyer family from?

You can see how Sawyer families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Sawyer family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Sawyer families were found in USA in 1880. In 1891 there were 1,242 Sawyer families living in London. This was about 23% of all the recorded Sawyer's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Sawyer families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Sawyer 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 Sawyer ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General Labourer and Unpaid Domestic Duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Sawyer. 9% of Sawyer men worked as a General Labourer and 70% of Sawyer women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Sawyer were Gardener and Incapacitated.

View Census Data for Sawyer | 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

  • General Labourer
    9%
  • Builders Labourer
    5%
  • Bricklayer
    4%
  • Gardener
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    70%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Incapacitated
    3%

What Sawyer family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 386,000 census records available for the last name Sawyer. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Sawyer census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Sawyer

Passenger Lists

There are 31,000 immigration records available for the last name Sawyer. 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 Sawyer immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 59,000 military records available for the last name Sawyer. For the veterans among your Sawyer ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Sawyer military records

You've only scratched the surface of Sawyer family history

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What is the average Sawyer lifespan?

Between 1941 and 2004, in the United States, Sawyer life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Sawyer in 1941 was 35, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Sawyer

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Sawyer 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.

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