Dial History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The Anglo-Saxon name Dial comes from when the family resided in the area referred to as the daleor a valley. 1 2 "The medieval form was At Dale, softened afterwards to A'Dale, as often found in parish registers of the XVI. cent., and widely renowned through the ballad of Robin Hood and Allin a'Dale." 3

Early Origins of the Dial family

The surname Dial was first found in Yorkshire where the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Thomas del Dale; Willelmus at Dale; and Johannes at Dale as all holding lands there at that time. 4

Actually there were earlier listings of the family that should now be mentioned. Those were found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 and both were in Suffolk: Ralph de la Dale and Thomas de la Dale. 4

Sir Thomas de la Dale (c.1316-1373) was an English-born judge and landowner, who held the office of Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, and also served as Lord Deputy of Ireland. He was born at Little Barford, Bedfordshire, son of Thomas de la Dale.

John atte Dale was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1327 and later, Nicholas Daile was listed a Freeman of York in 1481. 5

Further to the north in Scotland, we found Johannes de Dale was charter witness at Yester, 1374 and later, Syme of Daile and Jok of Dail of the Newtoun was listed in Ayrshire, 1470. 6

Early History of the Dial family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dial research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1379, 1541, 1542, 1545, 1562, 1567, 1570, 1589, 1609, 1611, 1614, 1616, 1619, 1634, 1659, 1674, 1686 and 1739 are included under the topic Early Dial History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dial Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Dial has been recorded under many different variations, including Dale, Daile, Dales, Dayle, Daele and others.

Early Notables of the Dial family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Valentine Dale (d. 1589), English civilian and diplomatist, supplicated the University of Oxford in 1541 for the degree of B.A., but does not appear to have been admitted. He was, however, elected a fellow of All Souls' College in 1542. In 1562, he was Ambassador in Flanders, receiving his final despatch from the regent on 6 Feb. 7Sir Thomas Dale (d. 1619), was a British Naval Commander sent in 1609 to Virginia as marshal of the colony, the government of which was...
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dial Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dial Ranking

In the United States, the name Dial is the 3,088^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 8

Dial migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Dial or a variant listed above:

Dial Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Margaret Dial, who landed in South Carolina in 1772 9
William Dial, who arrived in South Carolina in 1772 9

Dial Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Edward Dial, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Dial (post 1700) +

Patterson Dial (1902-1945), American writer and silent film actress of the 1920s, born in Madison, Florida
Nathaniel Barksdale Dial (1862-1940), American politician, United States Senator from South Carolina from 1919 to 1925
Joe Dial (b. 1962), American bronze medalist pole vaulter at the 1989 World Indoor Championships
Thornton Dial (b. 1928), American self-taught artist from Emelle, Alabama
Stephen D. Dial, American Democratic Party politician, Postmaster at Boonville, Indiana, 1857-61 10
Rufus Lee Dial (1887-1966), American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Wayne County, 1950, 1952, 1954 10
Nathaniel Barksdale Dial (1862-1940), American Democratic Party politician, Mayor of Laurens, South Carolina, 1887-91, 1895; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from South Carolina, 1888 10
Miller D. Dial, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Louisiana, 1988 10
Johnnie Dial, American politician, Workers League Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1984 10
Joe Dial, American Republican politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from Texas 14th District, 1990 10
... (Another 2 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Dial family +

USS Arizona

Mr. John Buchanan Dial, American Seaman First Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking 11

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html