Sawyer Family Crest, Coat of Arms and Name History

Sawyer Surname Name Meaning, Origin, History, & Etymology
This is an Anglo-Saxon occupational (or metonymic) last name meaning “the sawyer”, a person who saws wood or timber into logs or boards for a living, an important and critical occupation in medieval times and the Middle Ages. The name derives from the Middle English word saghier or saghen, meaning “to saw”. The Old English words were sagu and saghe. In some instances, it also may be an Americanized spelling of the surname Segar or other like-sounding Jewish surnames. Another theory is that this is a name of Norman origin, with a one Radulphus de Sahurs of Sahurs, Normandy, France recorded in 1198 AD, the name perhaps having come into England and the British Isles during the Norman Invasion of 1066 AD led by William the Conqueror.

Spelling Variations
Some spelling variants or names with similar etymologies include Sawere, Sawer, Sawiere, Saghier, Sawyere, Sawyers, Sawyier, Sawyerr, Saweyer, Sawayer, Soawyer, Sawyr, Seayer, Sauwer, and several others.

Popularity & Geographic Distribution
The last name Sawyer ranks 646^th in popularity in the United Status as of the 2000 Census. The name ranks particularly high in the following five states: Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, North Carolina, Virginia. The surname Sawyer frequency/commonness ranks as follows in the British Isles: England (793^rd), Scotland (2,233^rd), Wales (1,201^st), Ireland (4,790^th) and Northern Ireland (2,801^st). In England, it ranks highest in counties Suffolk and Berkshire. In Scotland, the surname ranks highest in Kirkcudbrightshire. In Wales, it ranks highest in Cardiganshire. In Ireland, it ranks highest in Queen’s County. The name is also present throughout the remainder English speaking world:  Canada (1,329^th), New Zealand (2,143^rd), Australia (922^nd), and South Africa (2,270^th).

Early Bearers of the Surname
One of the first documented bearers of this surname was Nicholas de Dagyere who was listed in the Records of the Abbey of Bec in 1248 AD in Berkshire, England. Humphrey le Sayhare who was listed in the Somerset Rolls in 1270 AD. The Hundred Rolls of 1273 AD, a census of Wales and England, known in Latin as Rotuli Hundredorum lists two bearers of this surname: Ralph le Sawiere (Huntingdon) and Geoffrey le Sawere (London). Henry le Sawer was recorded in the Close Rolls in 1280 AD.  Philip le Sagher was documented in Wakefield in the Yorkshire Rolls of 1324. John le Saghiere was recorded in the Sussex Rolls of 1327 AD. Kirby’s Quest lists one William Saweyer in county Somerset in 1327 AD. Richard le Saghiere was documented in the Close Rolls in 1347 AD. Henry le Saghier was documented in the Writs of Parliament. Walter le Sawyere was listed in the Caldendarium Rotulorum Originanlum. The Poll Tax of 1379 AD of Yorkshire lists two bearers: Hugo Sawer and Thomas Sawer. An early marriage involving this surname was Richard Sawyer to Jane Jessat at St. George’s Hanover Square in London, England in 1767, as well as France Sawer to Richard Meares at the same church. In Scitland, Alexander Sawer was a burgess (citizen) of the city of Glasgow in 1447 AD, Andrew Sauer was documented in Prestwick in 1470, Patrick Saware was documented in 1510 AD, David Sawar was an assize in Carrick in 1529 AD, and Thomas Sawar was a preacher in St. Andrews in 1545 AD.

Sawyer Family Tree & Sawyer Genealogy
The following is a discussion of seven different noble, royal, landed, or aristocratic families bearing this last name.

Other Sawyer Pedigree & Family Trees
Here is one pedigree of this family:
Edmund Sawyer (born in Norfolk, England in 1540, married Jane Fiske)
Thomas Sawyer (born in Gainsborough, Lincolnshire in 1556, married Margaret West)
John Sawyer (born in Lincolnshire England around 1583, married Agnes Sharpe)
Thomas Sawyer (born in Lincoln, England around 161, went to colonial America married Mary Prescott. He was the father of the following children: Thomas Jr., Ephraim, Mary (Houghton), Joshua, James, Caleb, John, Elizabeth (Hosmer), Deborah, Hannah (Blood), Nathaniel, and Martha. His son John Sawyer was born in Lancaster, Massachusetts in 1661. He married Mary (Ball) Sterling and had three sons with her: Edward, Jacob, and Moses. His son Sergeant Edward Sawyer was born in Lancaster, Massachusetts around 1687. In 1707, he married Elizabeth Mack in Hebron, Connecticut. They had at least twelve children together: John, Jonathan (married Dorothy Post), Edward, Thomas, Elizabeth (married Benjamin Bissell), Mary, Isaac (married Susanna Gillette), Lydia (married Benjamin Beach), Joseph, Hannah (married Jonathan Hutchins), Phebe (married Benjamin Carter), and Mary. His son Thomas was born in Hebron, Tolland, Connecticut in 1714. He married Hepsibah Dewey and had children with her named Jonathan and Hepzibah. His son Jonathan Sawyer was born in Hebron, CT in 1740. He married Tabita Palmer and had a son with her named Benjamin. Benjamin was born in 1780. He married Mindwell Sargent and had a son with her named Hiram. Hiram Sawyer was born in Orford, New Hampshire in 1814. He married Barbara Ann Wilson and had a daughter with her named Hannah. Hannah was born in New York in 1849. In 1872, she married William W. Mayhew and had a daughter with her named Sarah B. who was born in Wisconsin in 1876.

Early American and New World Settlers
William Sawyer was recorded as living in Virginia in February 1623 at “Plantacon over James Cittie”. He came aboard the Hopewell at the age of 18. Thomas Sawyer was recorded as living in Virginia in February 1623 at “At Warwick Squeake”. He came as a servant at the age of 23 around 1620. Records show both William and Thomas also had their last name spelled as Sawier. Other settlers in colonial America bearing this surname include Francis Sawyer (Virginia 1635) and Elizabeth Sawyer (Virginia 1700). In Canada, some first settlers bearing this last name included Michael Hyland Sawyer and Joseph Sawyer, who came in 1812 and 1831, respectively. In Australia, one of the earliest settlers bearing this surname was William Sawyer, a convict from Middlesex, England who came to New South Wales (then a penal colony) aboard the Asia in 1822. In 1840, a one Lavinia Sawyer came to the city of Adelaide aboard the Fairlee in 1840. In New Zealand, John and Mary Sawyer, age 24 and 27, respectively, came to the city of Wellington aboard the Aurora in 1840. In 1865, William Sawyer came to the city of Auckland aboard the Bombay. The name also made its way into the Caribbean. Margaret Sawyer owned 10 acres of land and 4 slaves in the parish of Christ Church, Barbados, in the year 1680. Elizabeth, daughter of Charles Sawyers, was baptized in St. George’s parish, Barbados in 1679.

Early Americans Bearing the Sawyer Family Crest
Charles Bolton’s American Armory (1927), Matthew’s American Armoury and Bluebook (1907, and Crozier’s General Armory (1904) do not contains any entries for this last name.

Mottoes
I have identified one Sawyer family motto: Cherches et tu trouveras, which translates from French to English as “Seek and thou shalt find”.

Grantees
We have 5 coats of arms for the Sawyer surname depicted here. These 5 blazons are from Bernard Burke’s book The General Armory of England, Ireland, and Scotland, which was published in 1848. The bottom of this page contains the blazons, and in many instances contains some historical, geographical, and genealogical about where coat of arms was found and who bore it. People with this last name that bore an Sawyer Coat of Arms (or mistakenly called the Sawyer Family Crest)
1) Edmond Sawyer of Kettering, Northantshire, 8 May 1601, by Camden
2) Sir James Sawyer, M.D., of Green Oaks, Edgbaston, Birmingham, England, 1888
3) Anne, wife of Sir Edmond, daughter of Sir William Whitmore of London, confirmation of arms impaling Whitmore, Houghton, an escutcheon of pretense, 9 April 1627 by Segar and J. Philipott

Notables
There are hundreds of notable people with the Sawyer surname. This page will mention a handful. Famous people with this last name include: 1) Ada Lewis Sawyer (1892-1985) who was the first woman to pass the bar exam in Rhode Island, 2) Benair Clement Sawyer (1822-1908) who was the Mayor of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania from 1862-1864, 3) Lila Diane Sawyer (1945) who is a famous TV news anchor who has been on ABC World News and Good Morning America, born in Glasgow, Kentucky, 4) Herbert Sawyer (1730-1789) who was an officer in the British Royal Navy who obtained the rank of Admiral, fighting in the American Revolution, Seven Years’ War, and the French Revolutionary Wars, 5) Philetus Sawyer (1816-1900) who was an American politician who was a Senator from Wisconsin from 1881 to 1893 and a member of the US House of Representatives from Wisconsin’s 6^th district, from 1873 to 1875, born in Whiting, Vermont, 6) Thomas C. Sawyer (1945) who was an American politician born in Akron, Ohio who held numerous jobs including 58^th Mayor of Akron from 1984-1986, member of the US House of Representatives from Ohio’s 14^th district from 1987-2003, and a Member of the Ohio Senate from 2007-2016, 7) William Sawyer (1803-1877) who was a member of the US House of Representatives from Ohio from 1845 to 1849, 8) Frank Grant Sawyer (1918 to 1996) who was the 21^st Governor of Nevada from 1959-1967, a Democrat and World War II Veteran, born in Twin Fall, Idaho, 9) Lee Thomas Sawyer who was an English professional football (soccer) player who was born in Leyton, London, having played from 2008-2016 for 12 different teams including Chelsea and Southend United, and 10) William Sawyer (1815-1904) who was a lumber merchant born in Sawyerville, Quebec who served in the Legislative Assembly of Quebec for Compton from 1871-1886.

Blazons & Genealogy Notes

1) (Heywood, co. Berks; John Sawyer, Esq., of Heywood, High Sheriff 1819, was son and heir of Anthony Sawyer, Esq., of Heywood, and grandson of John Sawyeb, Esq., by Anne, his wife, sister of Anthony Duncombe, first Lord Feversham). Az. a fess chequy or and sa. betw. three seapies ar. Crest—A talbot guard, ppr. Motto—Cherches et tu trouveras.
2) (co. Cambridge, and Causton, co. Norfolk). Az. a fess componée or and sa. betw. three seapies ar. Crest—On a mount vert a hound on scent ar. spotted liver colour.
3) (Kettering, co. Northampton, 1604). Lozengy or and az. on a pale gu. three escallops of the first. Crest—On a mural coronet gu. a parrot’s head erased vert, beaked gold.
4) Gu. a chev. betw. three birds ar. within a bordure of the second.
5) Az. a fesse, chequy, or and sa. betw. three doves ar. Crest, a talbot, guardant, ppr.