Show ContentsSander History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Sander

What does the name Sander mean?

The Anglo-Norman surname Sander is derived from the name Saunder, which is a pet form of the personal name Alexander. This name was originally derived from the Greek personal name Alexandros which literally means defender of men.

Early Origins of the Sander family

The surname Sander was first found in County Wicklow (Irish: Cill Mhantáin), known as the “last county,” created only in 1606, located on the East coast of Ireland, today part of the Greater Dublin Area, where they were granted lands by Strongbow, Earl of Pembroke, for their assistance in the invasion of Ireland in 1172.

Early History of the Sander family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Sander research. Another 131 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1530, 1555, 1581, 1620, 1648, 1683, 1695 and 1710 are included under the topic Early Sander History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Sander Spelling Variations

Medieval scribes and church officials spelt names simply the way they sounded, which explains the various name spelling variations of the name Sander that were encountered when researching that surname. The many spelling variations included: Saunders, Sanders, Sawnders, Sainders, Saynders, Saunderrs, Sannders, Sanderrs, Saunder and many more.

Early Notables of the Sander family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was

  • Nicholas Sanders or Sander (ca. 1530-1581), was an English controversialist and historian, one of the twelve children of William Sanders of Aston, one time High Sheriff of Surrey

Sander Ranking

In the United States, the name Sander is the 3,258th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1


Sander migration to the United States +

A great number of Irish families left their homeland in the late 18th century and throughout the 19th century, migrating to such far away lands as Australia and North America. The early settlers left after much planning and deliberation. They were generally well off but they desired a tract of land that they could farm solely for themselves. The great mass of immigrants to arrive on North American shores in the 1840s differed greatly from their predecessors because many of them were utterly destitute, selling all they had to gain a passage on a ship or having their way paid by a philanthropic society. These Irish people were trying to escape the aftermath of the Great Potato Famine: poverty, starvation, disease, and, for many, ultimately death. Those that arrived on North American shores were not warmly welcomed by the established population, but they were vital to the rapid development of the industry, agriculture, and infrastructure of the infant nations of the United States and what would become Canada. Early passenger and immigration lists reveal many Irish settlers bearing the name Sander:

Sander Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Thomas Sander, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1732 2
  • Johannes Sander, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1744 2
  • H Jacob Sander, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1750 2
  • Peter Sander, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 2
  • Conrad Henry Sander, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1753 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Sander Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Henry Sander, who arrived in Maryland in 1833 2
  • Hrch Sander, who arrived in America in 1833 2
  • Adam Sander, who settled in America in 1837
  • Anna Rosins Sander, who arrived in America in 1839 2
  • Cath Sander, who arrived in America in 1840 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Sander migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Sander Settlers in Canada in the 17th Century
  • Marguerite Gaillard Sander, who arrived in Quebec in 1664

Sander migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Sander Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Peder Sander, (b. 1854), aged 18, Scandinavian farm labourer travelling from Hamburg aboard the ship "Palmerston" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 12th December 1872 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Sander (post 1700) +

  • Ian Sander (1947-2016), American three-time Primetime Emmy nominated executive producer, co-founder of Sander/Moses Productions, perhaps best known for his work on Ghost Whisperer (2005-2010) and Profiler (1996-1999)
  • Deion Luwynn Sander (b. 1967), former American National Football League cornerback and Major League Baseball outfielder
  • Cliff Sander (1931-2022), Australian footballer who played 21 times for Australia, inducted into the Football Australia Hall of Fame
  • Otto Sander (1941-2013), German film, theater, and voice actor
  • Heidemarie Jiline "Jil" Sander (b. 1943), minimalist German fashion designer
  • August Sander (1876-1964), German photographer, eponym of the Sander lunar crater
  • Heinrich Friedrich Conrad Sander (1847-1920), German-born orchidologist and nurseryman who settled in Hertfordshire, England, best known for his monthly publication on orchids
  • Sander van Doorn (b. 1979), Dutch musician, DJ, and producer
  • Sander van den Heuvel PhD, American Assistant Professor of Medicine in the Center for Cancer Research at Massachusetts General Hospital
  • Sander Lloyd "Sandy" Nelson (1938-2022), American drummer, one of the best-known rock drummers of the early 1960s, had several solo instrumental Top 40 hits and released over 30 albums

Bismarck
  • Walter Sander (b. 1921), German Maschinengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck (1941) during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he survived the sinking 4
  • Rudolf Sander (1919-1941), German Schreibersobergefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 4


The Sander Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Nil Conscire Sibi
Motto Translation: Conscious of no Wrong.


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  4. Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details


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