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Sales Family History

Sales Surname Meaning

English: variant of Sale with plural or post-medieval excrescent -s. The Middle English plural form was probably often in variation with the singular form. The surname is uncommon in southwestern England but may derive there from Zeals (Wiltshire) and also from the plural form of Old English sealh ‘willow’; see Seal.

Catalan, Spanish, and French (Occitan): habitational name from any of the places called Sales like Sales de Llierca (Catalonia) from the plural of Sala. Compare De Sales.

Portuguese: from a Christian religious byname adopted since in honor of Saint Francis of Sales (1567–1622) who was born at the Château de Sales in Savoy.

French (Salès): habitational name from Le Salès in Cantal.

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


Similar surnames: 

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Where is the Sales family from?

You can see how Sales families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Sales family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Sales families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 570 Sales families living in London. This was about 29% of all the recorded Sales's in United Kingdom. London had the highest population of Sales families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Sales 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 Sales 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 Sales. 11% of Sales men worked as a General Labourer and 73% of Sales women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Sales were Builders Labourer and Domestic Duties.

View Census Data for Sales | 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
    11%
  • Gardener
    9%
  • Carpenter
    9%
  • Builders Labourer
    5%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    73%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    3%
  • Housewife
    3%
  • Domestic Duties
    2%

What Sales family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 97,000 census records available for the last name Sales. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Sales census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Sales

Passenger Lists

There are 8,000 immigration records available for the last name Sales. 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 Sales immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 12,000 military records available for the last name Sales. For the veterans among your Sales ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Sales military records

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