History of your Surname
Get access to Sailor family records.Start a free trial

Sailor Family History

Sailor Name Meaning

English (Lancashire): variant of Saylor . This surname is now rare in Britain.

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


Similar surnames: Sailer, Nailor, Tailor, Sailors, Ailor, Saler, Sayler, Saylors, Saile

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

Hint: Try searching for a relative alive in 1940.

Black & white image of a young woman scientist

Where is the Sailor family from?

You can see how Sailor families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Sailor family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Sailor families were found in USA in 1880. In 1911 there were 17 Sailor families living in Ontario. This was about 68% of all the recorded Sailor's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Sailor families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Sailor surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Sailor ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Labourer was the top reported job for people in the Canada named Sailor. 60% of Sailor men worked as a Labourer. .

View Census Data for Sailor | 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 1921

  • Labourer
    60%
  • Farmer
    40%
Black & white image of two construction labourers

What Sailor family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 21,000 census records available for the last name Sailor. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Sailor census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Sailor

Passenger Lists

There are 1,000 immigration records available for the last name Sailor. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Sailor immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 6,000 military records available for the last name Sailor. For the veterans among your Sailor ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Sailor military records

You've only scratched the surface of Sailor family history

Discover More

What is the average Sailor lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Sailor life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 1997. The average life expectancy for Sailor in 1944 was 36, and 75 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Sailor

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Sailor family tree

Explore Your Tree

Browse profiles of historical people with the Sailor last name

Search for another surname
Enter last name/surname
Start a 14-Day Free Trial