Origins of the Saunders surname

What does the name Saunders mean?

The origin of the Saunders surname is English and Scottish. It has patronymic roots, derived from the name 'Sander', a medieval version of the name 'Alexander'. It has been discovered in records dating back to the 1200s and would have been given to those who were the son or descendant of a person with one of these names.

Alternative variations of the name Saunders

Saunders, Sanders, Sawnders, Sannders, Saunder

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Delve deeper into the Saunders family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 500North West 387Isle of Man 17Yorkshire 872East Midlands 405West Midlands 1096East 2381London 7528South East 4037South West 1430South Wales 829Mid Wales 197West Wales 11North Wales 40Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Saunderses lived in london

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

39,000 Saunders Travel & migration records
280,000 Saunderses found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Saunders

How common is your surname?

120th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Saunders surname. The oldest one dates back to 1532.

Who were Saunderses most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Saunderses.

What are the most common Saunders first names?

William

John

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Saunders family members
Man with milk churns and census card collage
Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Saunderses

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Saunderses in 1921

Dressmaker

1,342

Laundress

1,078

General Servant Domestic

806

Domestic Servant

758

General Servant

555

Common male occupations for Saunderses in 1921

Agricultural Labourer

1,655

General Labourer

1,347

Carpenter

937

Farm Labourer

928

Farmer

660

We found over 430,000 family trees with the Saunders surname

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