DELLER

The surname Deller is of purely English origin, deriving from the Old English word dell, which refers to a small valley or hollow. As a topographic surname it was originally applied to an individual who lived in or near such a geographic feature, thereby identifying the person by his dwelling place.

In the early medieval period, the use of topographic names was common because the natural and man‑made features of the landscape provided clear and easily recognisable identifiers for members of small communities. The first recorded spelling of the name appears in the Hundred Rolls of Norfolk as Ralph Dellere in 1275, during the reign of Edward I, who is celebrated as The Hammer of the Scots.

Church registers from London in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries give further evidence of the name’s usage: for example, Edward, son of Henrie and Elizabeth Dellar, was christened on 7 September 1617 at St. Botolph without Aldgate, and Thomas Dellar married Suzan Carter on 27 August 1657 at St. Michael Queenhithe. These entries indicate that the surname was widespread in the capital as well as in the rural counties of southern England.

Spelling variations of the surname include Dellar, Delle, Della, and Dillar. In continental Europe the form Dellert or Dellertz is encountered in German records, while the French variant is spelt Daller and the Spanish forms are Dalle and Dalleres. The name is also associated with the Germanic personal name Teller, meaning plate, which in some contexts refers to a job in cattle farming where plate‑shaped troughs were used for feeding livestock.

Presently the surname is most common within the United Kingdom, especially in the counties of Surrey, Hampshire, and Kent, all situated in the South‑East region of England. The name can also be found in many other parts of the UK, as well as in Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Germany, Sweden, and the United States. In the United States the name appears in a number of states including New York, California, Florida, Illinois, Ohio, Connecticut, Indiana, Pennsylvania, and Maryland; its earliest colonial record is that of Thomas Deller of Virginia in 1623.

The heraldic arms associated with the Deller name are described as silver with a black lion rampant debruised by a red saltire. The crest consists of a hand erect issuing from a cloud and holding a garb. While heraldry is not a primary source for surname origin, it often reflects the history and status of a family and thus provides additional context for those bearing the name.

Because the surname was originally a descriptive label for someone who dwelt in a valley, its usage was limited and its density remained relatively low throughout history. Today, though uncommon, the name persists as a distinct marker of family heritage, linking current bearers to a lineage that stretches back over seven centuries in the English landscape.

Typical given names associated with the Deller surname

Male

• Andrew
• Anthony
• Christopher
• David
• John
• Mark
• Michael
• Paul
• Peter
• Stephen
• Thomas

Female

• Barbara
• Gillian
• Jacqueline
• Janet
• Julie
• Karen
• Lisa
• Margaret
• Mary
• Michelle
• Nicola
• 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 Deller in...

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Surname type: Occupational name

Origin: English

Region of origin: British Isles

Country of origin: England

Religion of origin: Christian

Language of origin: English

Famous people named Deller

• Keith Deller - Darts player
• Alfred Deller - Countertenor singer (1912 to 1979)
• Reg Deller - Cricketer (1933 to 2001)

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.

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