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Sai Family History

Sai Surname Meaning

Chinese: Mandarin form of the surname 賽 meaning ‘giving thanks to God’ in ancient Chinese: adopted as a Han Chinese surname from different minority ethnic groups in ancient China. Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 蔡 possibly based on its pronunciation in the Hainanese dialect see Cai.

Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 佘 see She. Chinese: Cantonese form of the surname 西 see Xi. Chinese: possibly from Cantonese form of the Chinese name 世 (meaning ‘world’) a monosyllabic personal name or part of a disyllabic personal name of some early Chinese immigrants in the US.

Vietnamese (Sái): from the Chinese surname 蔡 see Cai 1 and 2 above.

Vietnamese (Sài): from the Chinese surname 柴 see Chai.

Possibly also Burmese (Shan): from a title of respect and a form of address for a 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.

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

Similar surnames:

Shi
, Cai
, Say
, Kai
, Sa
, Sas
, Bai
, Dai
, Sari
, Hai

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Where is the Sai family from?

You can see how Sai families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Sai family name was found in the USA, Canada, and Scotland between 1880 and 1920. The most Sai families were found in USA in 1920. In 1911 there were 3 Sai families living in British Columbia. This was about 75% of all the recorded Sai's in Canada. British Columbia had the highest population of Sai families in 1911.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Sai 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 Sai family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 3,000 census records available for the last name Sai. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Sai census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

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Passenger Lists

There are 3,000 immigration records available for the last name Sai. 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.

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Draft Cards

There are 11,000 military records available for the last name Sai. For the veterans among your Sai ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

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What is the average Sai lifespan?

Between 1967 and 2004, in the United States, Sai life expectancy was at its lowest point in 2002, and highest in 1993. The average life expectancy for Sai in 1967 was 67, and 50 in 2004.

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