Sale
A surname that can mean someone who lived by or at a hall, from an old word for a hall or manor house.
The #9,097 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 85,978 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is usually explained from an old word for a hall or large house, from Old English and Old Norse forms meaning “hall.” In medieval records it could appear as De la Sale or similar forms, pointing to someone who lived at or near a hall or manor. Some historical writers also linked it with French forms like de la salle, but the core sense is the same: a dwelling-place name.
History
Medieval records show several spellings, including De la Sale, De Aula, and related forms. The name appears in English and Scottish records, and some families later simplified the surname to Sale or Salle. Because it overlaps with the common noun sale, it is not related to buying and selling as a surname origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A famous 14th-century knight remembered by Froissart was recorded under several spelling forms of this same surname, including De la Sale and De Aula.
From the historical record
“Piers' Plowman, iii. 330. SALE (Eng. and Scand.) Bel. to Sale; or Dweller in or by a Hall [O.E. sml = O.N. sal-r. a hall] ne g6d hafoc |(the) good hawk not geond seel swihgetS|through (the) hall beateth. Bedwttlf, 4$J9-3o. John de la Sale. — Fine-Rolls. Cp. Seal(e.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)