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Saw Family History

Saw Surname Meaning

English (Buckinghamshire and Middlesex): nickname either for a sawyer or for someone who made or sold saws from Middle English sau(e) ‘saw’ (Old English sagu). Compare Sawyer.

Indian (Uttar Pradesh): Vaishya name from an altered form of Sanskrit sadhu ‘gentle good honest’. Compare Sahu Sawh.

Burmese: from a personal name usually forming part of a compound name from saw ‘honourable’. — Note: Since Burmese do not have hereditary surnames this name was registered as such only after immigration of its bearers to the US.

As a surname of Burmese origin possibly also from a Karen form of address for an adult man similar to English ‘mister’. — Note: This title is not used as a personal name in Burma but in the US it might have been in some cases registered (or counted in the census data) as a surname.

Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 蕭 (or 肖) see Xiao. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 蘇 see Su.

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


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Where is the Saw family from?

You can see how Saw families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Saw family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Saw families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1891 there were 76 Saw families living in Buckinghamshire. This was about 26% of all the recorded Saw's in United Kingdom. Buckinghamshire had the highest population of Saw families in 1891.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Saw 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 Saw 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 Saw. 10% of Saw men worked as a General Labourer and 77% of Saw women worked as an Unpaid Domestic Duties. Some less common occupations for Americans named Saw were Builders Labourer Heavy Worker and Household Duties (unpaid).

View Census Data for Saw | 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
    10%
  • Foundry Head Time Keeper
    10%
  • School Master
    10%
  • Builders Labourer Heavy Worker
    10%

Top Female Occupations In 1939

  • Unpaid Domestic Duties
    77%
  • Unpaid Domestic
    5%
  • Housewife
    4%
  • Household Duties (unpaid)
    4%

What Saw family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 19,000 census records available for the last name Saw. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Saw census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Saw

Passenger Lists

There are 2,000 immigration records available for the last name Saw. 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 Saw immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 16,000 military records available for the last name Saw. For the veterans among your Saw ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Saw military records

You've only scratched the surface of Saw family history

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What is the average Saw lifespan?

Between 1971 and 2004, in the United States, Saw life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1984, and highest in 1985. The average life expectancy for Saw in 1971 was 85, and 91 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Saw

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Saw 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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