Whence come our earliest family ties?
Speculative Origins
The precise origins of the Salisbury family are shrouded in the mists of time, but it is known that "Salisbury" was originally a place name. There is a tale of an Englishman wishing to establish his own village. Standing in the location of an ancient tell (the remains of a fortress left over from the Roman invasions) he was instructed to mount an arrow and wheresoever it should fall, that was to be his land. The tale goes on to say the spent arrow was found in a willow marsh. Now, the Old English term for willow was "salis." And "bury" referred to an area or region (think "burough").

Thus perhaps, emerged a village known as Salisbury - a well-known placename in England and the home of Salisbury Cathedral, the church with the tallest spire in all of England. As families back then were identified by their work or their holdings, it well may be supposed that here the Salisbury family name had its roots. However, one must not overlook the existence of Salzburg, Germany. The Germanic peoples (Angles and Saxons), who invaded the island in the distant past may have mde their contribution toward the name.

Note: With nothing being known of William Salisbury I's forebears, it is difficult to nail much down -- after, the dude did live over a thousand years ago!