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The origins of the family name of SavillThe English family name Savill is classified as being of habitation origin. This term denotes names whose origin lies in the place of residence of the initial bearer of the name. Habitation names tell us from whence hailed the progenitor of the family or they can give us the exact location of the residence of the initial bearer. In this case, the surname Savill would appear to be derived from the places SAUVILLE located in the departments of Ardennes and Vosges in France or Sainville located in Sure-et-Loire. The noted scholar P. H. Reaney states that the surname in some instances may be a variant form of the family name Saffell. It is derived from the Anglo-Scandinavian personal name Safugul, from the old Norse “soefogl” meaning “sea-bird”.Variants of the surname Savill include Savile, Savil, Saveall, Savell, Seville and Saywell. One of the earliest written references to the surname is a record of one John de Sayvill who appears in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1246 while Stephen de Savill was recorded in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire in 1277. Research is of course ongoing and the name may have been recorded earlier than the date indicated above. Later references to bearers of the surname include a record of one Rosemunda Savell who was recorded in the Rothwell Parish Registers, Yorkshire in 1549 while George Savile was recorded in the Registers of Oxford University in 1598. Thomas Savil was listed in the Hearth Tax Returns for Yorkshire in 1672. Records relating to the arrival of bearers of the surname to the New World include Richard Savile who settled in Virginia in 1728. It is interesting to note that Savill is the family name of the Earls of Mexborough and the Marquess of Halifax whose arms are described below. BLAZON OF ARMS: Argent on a bend sable three owls of the field. CREST: An owl argent. MOTTO: Be fast. ORIGIN: England |
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