What type of name is sanders

The last name is most prevalent in The United States, where it is held by , people, or 1 in 1, In The United States it is most frequent in: Texas, where 11 percent are found, California, where 8 percent are found and Georgia, where 5 percent are found.

Other than The United States Sanders is found in countries. It also occurs in England, where 6 percent are found and The Netherlands, where 3 percent are found. The frequency of Sanders has changed through the years. In The United States the number of people carrying the Sanders surname increased percent between and ; in England it increased percent between and ; in Wales it increased percent between and ; in Scotland it increased percent between and and in Ireland it increased percent between and In The United States those bearing the Sanders surname are The amount Sanders earn in different countries varies greatly.

In Norway they earn By signing up to the mailing list you will only receive emails specifically about name reference on Forebears and your information will not be distributed to 3rd parties.

Names Forenames. Login Remember me. Sanders Surname 1, th. Approximately , people bear this surname Most prevalent in:. Highest density in:. Norfolk Island. Sanders Surname Definition: This surname is derived from the name of an ancestor. Alisandre, or Sandre de Leycestre, London, Hundred Rolls.

Richard fatter Sander, Salop, ibid. Read More About This Surname. Sanders Surname Distribution Map. By incidence By incidence By frequency By rank.

Thomas fil. Saundre, Northamptonshire, ibid. Saunder de Mere, Salop, ibid. There are at least three potential origins. These are firstly a derivative of the Greek personal name Alexander, meaning "The defender", and which was first recorded in b. It was introduced into Britain by "Crusaders" and other pilgrims, from the Holy Land, in the 12th century a. Secondly in Britain, it can be locational from the village of Sanderstead in the county of Surrey.

Of course the term 'belonging to Alexander' can mean two completely different things. Firstly, and most popular amongst people called Saunders , it may mean that the person had shown or wished to show Alexanderian characteristics.

Secondly, and less popular amongst the Saunders families , it may imply that they belonged to a person or family called Alexander, either as followers, slaves, serfs or soldiers.

The latter category etymologically seems likely and during Saxon and Norman times such usage and bondage was common. Many of the current Saunders families may once have been owned or owed allegiance to powerful or notable individuals who used or where honored with Alexander as a first name or title. In English because of the ensuing problems with plurals a 's' is not lightly put on the end of a name or noun.

So if attached it is there for a purpose and it probably meant to imply that person belonged to, or followed an Alexander rather than just having inherited the name from a forebearer, in which case they would simple be called 'Alexander'; as many were and are.

The fact that immigrant names like 'Alysandre' can be shown to have became 'Saunders' e. S ending names are rare in Britain. I don't know if it is true but I once heard that the reason there are so many Jones, Hughs and Evanses etc.

So it seems the accepted main origin of the name of Saunders and Sanders either as a given or chosen name or later as a surname is inextricably linked to the fortunes of the name 'Alexander' and its later use in the Saxon-speaking world, particularly in Britain.

Many towns were called Alexandria and the Egyptian city was one of the Seven Wonders of the ancient world. The man and his deeds were widely known throughout Europe, the Mediterranean, Middle East and into India and beyond.

In the latter two areas the name was often used in the context of a fabled archenemy or bogeyman. As far as the British Isles was concerned for thousands of years Cornwall at least had strong trade links to the Mediterranean the Phoenicians traded for tin etc.

The Ancient Britons as witnessed by their henge monuments in Britain and Brittany and then the later colonizing Celts had strong cultural links across the Channel. During the years of Roman occupation knowledge of Alexander and his story would certainly have been common place in Britain. After the initial conquest and during the consolidation period of Emperor Trajan , Pope Alexander I led the persecuted Christians in Rome, probably ensuring some more fame or notoriety for the name throughout the Empire.

During the peak of the Brit-ish Pax Romana Emperor Alexander Severus ruled the Empire and the British would have worshipped his 'numen' spirit in their shrines British freemen by this time were true Roman Citizens.

The famous and extensive libraries in Dark Age and Medieval England, of which Alfred was perhaps the most famous guardian and benefactor, would probably have contained texts on Alexander.

So the knowledge and use of the straight name for individuals, or as a term for groups i. The name and term would have been there ready to be 'Saxonised' when the Saxons arrived in England in the 5th and 6th centuries AD, then taken on as surnames when that practice become common in the 12th and 13th centuries.