Sale last name popularity, history, and meaning

Find out how popular the last name Sale is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Sale.

Meaning of Sale

An occupational surname for a person who worked as a merchant, trader, or owner of a shop or hall.

Sale, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Sale surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Sale in America

Sale is the 9097th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Sale surname appeared 3,591 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Sale.

We can also compare 2010 data for Sale to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

2010 2000 Change (%)
Rank 9097 8624 5.34%
Count 3,591 3,511 2.25%
Proportion per 100k 1.22 1.30 -6.35%

The history of the last name Sale

The surname SALE originated in England during the medieval period, deriving from the Old English word "sael," which means "dwelling" or "house." It is believed to have been a toponymic name, referring to someone who lived near a large hall or mansion.

The name was first recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086, which documented landowners and properties across England after the Norman Conquest. The earliest known spelling variations include Sale, Salle, and Sayle.

In the 13th century, the name appeared in various historical records, such as the Hundred Rolls of Bedfordshire, where Robert de la Sale was mentioned in 1273. The "de la" prefix indicates the family's association with a specific location.

One of the earliest known bearers of the name was Sir Robert Sale (c. 1300-1380), a prominent English knight who served under King Edward III during the Hundred Years' War. He fought in several battles, including the Battle of Crécy in 1346.

Another notable figure was Sir Robert Sale (1782-1845), a British Army officer who served in the Napoleonic Wars and the First Anglo-Afghan War. He was known for his successful defense of Jalalabad in 1842 during the latter conflict.

The surname SALE was also found in various place names, such as Sale in Greater Manchester, which was recorded as "Saleford" in the Domesday Book. This suggests that the name may have originated from this location.

In the 16th century, the name was associated with Sir John Sale (c. 1520-1595), an English landowner and politician who served as a Member of Parliament for Worcestershire.

During the 17th century, Robert Sale (1622-1696) was a notable English nonconformist minister and author who faced persecution for his religious beliefs during the Restoration period.

One of the most famous bearers of the name was Sir Robert Henry Sale (1782-1845), a British Army officer known for his role in the First Anglo-Afghan War. He was killed in action during the Battle of Mudki in 1845.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Sale

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Sale.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

  1. White only
  2. Black only
  3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
  4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
  5. Hispanic
  6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Sale was:

Race/Ethnicity Percentage Total Occurrences
Non-Hispanic White Only 86.08% 3,091
Non-Hispanic Black Only 2.26% 81
Non-Hispanic Asian and Pacific Islander Only 6.10% 219
Non-Hispanic American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.56% 20
Non-Hispanic of Two or More Races 1.84% 66
Hispanic Origin 3.17% 114

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Sale has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

2010 2000 Change (%)
White 86.08% 89.83% -4.26%
Black 2.26% 1.37% 49.04%
Asian and Pacific Islander 6.10% 3.96% 42.54%
American Indian and Alaskan Native 0.56% 0.37% 40.86%
Two or More Races 1.84% 2.11% -13.67%
Hispanic 3.17% 2.36% 29.29%

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Sale was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Sale, please contact us.

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!

"Sale last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com. Accessed on December 22, 2024. http://namecensus.com/last-names/sale-surname-popularity/.

"Sale last name popularity, history, and meaning". NameCensus.com, http://namecensus.com/last-names/sale-surname-popularity/. Accessed 22 December, 2024

Sale last name popularity, history, and meaning. NameCensus.com. Retrieved from http://namecensus.com/last-names/sale-surname-popularity/.

Search for a name

Search for a first or last name to learn more about its origin, meaning, and more.

Simple as that.