DALES

Dales is a surname of English origin, deriving from the Old English word dæl meaning “valley.” The name is therefore a topographical surname, originally given to those who lived near or within a valley, or who were associated with a valley in some other significant way.

Historical records show that the surname first appears in the 13th century. The earliest known spelling is that of Ralph de la Dale, recorded in the Hundred Rolls of Sussex in 1275 during the reign of King Edward I. A later early instance is that of a man named Francis Dales, an emigrant who departed from London on the ship Expectation on 16 April 1635 to the Island of Providence in the New World.

In the Middle Ages the name was often rendered in the genitive case, as in Dales, denoting “of the dale.” This form signified a person belonging to or residing in a particular valley. The surname may also have arisen from any of the numerous places called Dale in England — for example Dalwood in Dorset, Dalham in Kent or Dawley in Worcestershire. A variant spelling is Deal, which comes from the Kentish form del, a place name in Kent.

After the Norman Conquest of 1066, the name became widespread throughout England and later in Scotland, Wales and the wider British Isles. By the 17th and 18th centuries it was common in the northern counties of England and appeared in the parish register of Sittingbourne, Kent, where John Dales married Mary Cusworth on 12 May 1768.

The surname has a number of variants that retain the same basic meaning: Dail, Dayle, Deale, Dalli, Deales, Daile, Deel, Dall and others such as Dalsman or Dalesman. Surnames of the same geographic origin include Dalby, Daley, Dalston, Dalwood and Dalrymple, among others.

By the 19th century, bearers of the name had migrated to the United States, Australia and New Zealand. In the United States the surname is most frequently found in the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York. In Australia and New Zealand many people with the surname settled from the late 19th century onwards, reflecting the wider pattern of British emigration during that period.

The modern Dales are a diverse group who can be found across a range of professions, from politics and science to the arts and sports. Their heritage is deeply rooted in the United Kingdom, with connections that span the history of the nation from the Anglo-Saxon period to contemporary diaspora.

Typical given names associated with the Dales surname

Male

• Andrew
• Anthony
• Christopher
• David
• John
• Michael
• Paul
• Richard
• Robert
• Stephen

Female

• Ann
• Anne
• Christine
• Elaine
• Elizabeth
• Gillian
• Janet
• Joan
• Julie
• Karen
• Margaret
• Rachel
• Sandra
• Sarah
• Susan

Similar and related surnames

Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.

How to communicate the surname Dales in...

Braille

⠙⠁⠇⠑⠎

Morse

-...-.-......

Semaphore

Origin: English

Region of origin: British Isles

Country of origin: England

Religion of origin: Christian

Language of origin: English

Famous people named Dales

• Hugh Dales - Cricketer (1888 to 1964)

Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.

Your comments on the Dales surname