The name stems from the Arabic verb sa‘ada (سَعَدَ – 'to be happy, fortunate or lucky').
The Maltese surname Saïd has the same origin but has been borne by Latin Catholics for over seven centuries.
In the 1480 militia list it is spelt mostly Said, but was later variously written Said, Sayd, Sajt, Sait in the Catholic church census of 1687.
The anachronistic and undocumented claim that 'Nicolò Sayd', a grandson of Cem (1459–1496, the renegade son of Turkish Sultan Mehmet II) settled in Malta and became the ancestor of all Maltese bearing the surname Said is a fantasy inspired by the writings of historical novelists Maurice Caron and John Freely and recently promoted by amateur genealogists.
These include the names Seydoux and Seydou, which are common in Europe and West Africa, respectively.