Sawyer Name Origin, Meaning and Family History

Sawyer Name Meaning: An occupational name for someone who is employed to 'saw' wood. Middle English 'saghier' a derivative of 'sagh(en)' meaning 'to saw'.

The process of preparing 'sawn timber' was an absolute necessity during medieval life,without it life would have been impossible.

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Surname Distribution

Census frequency by county

Name Concentrations Within England and Wales

Sawyer Surname Statistics


Top Professions for the Sawyer family

Profession Census Frequency
General Labourer 74
General Servant Domestic 74
Living On Own Means 74
Dress Maker 51
Cook Domestic 39
Scholar 39
Agricultural Labourer 37
Laundress Wash 34
House Maid Domestic 28
Housemaid Domestic 25
Carpenter 24
Domestic Servant 24
Farmer 24
Gardener Domestic 23
Bricklayer 21
Tailoress 19
Carman 18
Grocer Assistant 18
Draper Assistant 17
House Keeper Domestic 16
Labourer 15
Laundress 15
Railway Porter 15
Servant Domestic 15
Freestone Quarryman 15

Sawyer Surname Variants Ranking

Rank Surname Match Census Frequency
1 Sawyer 100% 41,332
2 Swyer 83% 1,575
3 Swayer 67% 184
4 Sawayer 86% 143

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The surname Sawyer is the most popular version of all its varients

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