# Whats the origin of the name Sarail? **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [March 26, 2021, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-name-sarail/938738 "2021-03-26T02:13:32Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 2:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-name-sarail/938738/1 "2021-03-26T02:13:32Z")
Came across the woman’s name Sarail in a distant bit of our family tree from early 17th Century England: [![Imgur](https://i.imgur.com/2FSNDUQ.png "imgur.com") ](https://imgur.com/2FSNDUQ) Pretty much uniquely for any name I’ve googled there is absolutely nothing about this name in all the billions of “name origin” or “baby name” sites. The only things that come up are from Asia, which seem unlikely to be an origin given the date, 1602-1652, long before England had much direct interaction with Asia (and even when they did, English families borrowing Asian names for their kids wasn’t really a thing until much much later AFAIK) Anyone heard of it or know its origins? ---
**Author:** ![penultima\_thule](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/penultima_thule/32/3833_2.png) [@penultima\_thule](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/penultima_thule)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 2:46am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-name-sarail/938738/2 "2021-03-26T02:46:05Z")
Any possibility its just a typo and should be Sarah? ---
**Author:** ![UDS1](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/u/e47774/32.png) [@UDS1](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/UDS1)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 2:57am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-name-sarail/938738/3 "2021-03-26T02:57:00Z")
It is Sarah. The name doesn’t end in “-IL”; it ends in “-H.” Check the other names on the same table to see if they have a full stop after them. ---
**Author:** ![Colibri](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/colibri/32/1841_2.png) [@Colibri](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colibri)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 3:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-name-sarail/938738/4 "2021-03-26T03:18:08Z")
> [@UDS1](#): > > It is Sarah. The name doesn’t end in “-IL”; it ends in “-H.” It looks to me like it actually ends in a comma rather than a period (full stop). It may be worth mentioning that [Abraham’s wife Sarah was originally called Sarai.](https://www.biblegateway.com/resources/all-women-bible/Sarah-Sarai-Sara) ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 4:33am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-name-sarail/938738/5 "2021-03-26T04:33:46Z")
Yeah, it’s very clearly “Sarah” with an H followed by a period, or possibly comma. I can see the crossbar of the H faintly if I blow it up. (Interesting sidenote: that John Nalson, rector of Walkington, is probably [this John Nalson whose son Dr. John Nalson was born in 1637](https://books.google.com/books?id=OaxCAAAAYAAJ&pg=PR6). Can’t tell from that what the name of John Nalson pere’s wife was, though. ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 4:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-name-sarail/938738/6 "2021-03-26T04:43:39Z")
ETA: Well, I’ll be a son of a rector. The English just keep [records of everybody,](https://books.google.com/books?id=esIHAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA533) don’t they? > [@](#): > > The late old church, at Holbeck, was built at the instance of the Rev. John Nalson, A.M., the pious minister there, when his learned son, Dr. John Nalson, the historian, was born, who, as appears by the parish register, was baptized August 2nd, 1637. His mother was Sarah, daughter of Thos. Sharp, Esq. ---
**Author:** ![griffin1977](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/977dab/32.png) [@griffin1977](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/griffin1977)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 4:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-name-sarail/938738/7 "2021-03-26T04:55:56Z")
Yeah you’re right all. The type face fooled me. And yup that’s the one. The Sharps are ancestors of mine, and this family tree is a one we found in the public records THEY wrote in the 1700s, tracing their ancestors back even further. The most interesting thing about it, is that means we are related to this dude (who is listed in the Sharp’s family tree). Anyone who earned the moniker “the scoundrel” has to have been an, err, interesting chap: > **[Sir Richard Grenville, 1st Baronet](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sir_Richard_Grenville,_1st_Baronet)** > > Pages for logged out editors learn more > > > > Sir Richard Grenville (26 June 1600 – 21 October 1659) was a professional soldier from Cornwall, who served in the Thirty Years War, and 1638 to 1651 Wars of the Three Kingdoms. He was the younger brother of Sir Bevil Grenville, who died at Lansdowne in 1643, and grandson of Admiral Sir Richard, killed at Flores in 1591. > He began his military career during the 1618 to 1624 Bohemian Revolt, an early phase of the Thirty Years War, then served un... ---
**Author:** ![Kimstu](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/ecd19e/32.png) [@Kimstu](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kimstu)\ **Post date:** [March 26, 2021, 5:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/whats-the-origin-of-the-name-sarail/938738/8 "2021-03-26T05:00:08Z")
Wowza! According to that link, your ancestor was one of the very few people to get [officially divorced in England before 1700](https://www.jstor.org/stable/764190?seq=1).