Dashiell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Dashiell came to England with the ancestors of the Dashiell family in the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Dashiell family lived in Worcestershire. The family was originally from D'Assche, Normandy 1 or "from At Ash; from residence near an ash-tree." 2

The initial "D" is a retention of the French prefix "de", meaning "of", indicating the local nature of the name. Other surnames that have been similarly derived are Nash, Tash and Daysh.

Early Origins of the Dashiell family

The surname Dashiell was first found in Worcestershire where Richard del Eshe was recorded in the Assize Rolls of 1221. Later, Ralph de Asche was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. Richard Dasche whose name was recorded in the "Calendar of Letter Books of the City of London" in 1301. 3

Early History of the Dashiell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dashiell research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1200 is included under the topic Early Dashiell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dashiell Spelling Variations

Multitudes of spelling variations are a hallmark of Anglo Norman names. Most of these names evolved in the 11th and 12th century, in the time after the Normans introduced their own Norman French language into a country where Old and Middle English had no spelling rules and the languages of the court were French and Latin. To make matters worse, medieval scribes spelled words according to sound, so names frequently appeared differently in the various documents in which they were recorded. The name was spelled Dash, Dashe, Daishe and others.

Early Notables of the Dashiell family

More information is included under the topic Early Dashiell Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dashiell Ranking

In the United States, the name Dashiell is the 9,717^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Dashiell family to Ireland

Some of the Dashiell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dashiell migration to the United States +

Because of this political and religious unrest within English society, many people decided to immigrate to the colonies. Families left for Ireland, North America, and Australia in enormous numbers, traveling at high cost in extremely inhospitable conditions. The New World in particular was a desirable destination, but the long voyage caused many to arrive sick and starving. Those who made it, though, were welcomed by opportunities far greater than they had known at home in England. Many of these families went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Dashiell or a variant listed above:

Dashiell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Ann Dashiell, who landed in Maryland in 1665 5
Elizabeth Dashiell, who arrived in Maryland in 1665 5
James Dashiell, who landed in Maryland in 1665 5
James, Dashiell Jr., who landed in Maryland in 1665 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Dashiell (post 1700) +

Aaron Dashiell, former American college football defensive back from Plainfield, New Jersey
Douglas 'Doug" Dashiell (1905-1975), American college football coach
Paul J. "Skinny" Dashiell (1867-1937), American football player, coach, and university professor
Robert Brooke Dashiell (1860-1899), United States Navy officer and inventor, eponym of the destroyer USS Dashiell (DD-659)
John Wallace "Wally" Dashiell (1902-1972), American Major League Baseball shortstop
Samuel Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961), American author and screenwriter, known for "The Maltese Falcon" (1930), "The Glass Key" (1931) and "The Thin Man" (1934)
Dashiell Eaves, American actor who lives in New York City

Citations +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)