Contents [hide]

Dell History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Dell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Germany
Scotland

The history of the Dell family goes back to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It is derived from the family living beside the water. The surname Dell originally derived from the Old English word dell which referred to someone who inhabited an area close to a body of water or glade. 1

Another source has a slightly different interpretation; having derived from the Saxon dialect "a dweller by the water," or "dell" a glade. 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 Dell family

The surname Dell was first found in Suffolk where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Ralph de la Dale and Thomas de la Dale as holding lands there at that time. 4

William and Robert atte Delle were listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. 5

Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls listed Thomas del Dale; Robertus del Dale; Willelmus at Dale; and Johannes at Dale. 4

Up in Scotland, the first record there was Johannes de Dale who was charter witness at Yester, 1374, and later, Syme of Daile and Jok of Dail of the Newtoun were both listed in Ayrshire in 1470. 6

Early History of the Dell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dell research. Another 44 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1607, 1649, 1657, 1658, 1660, 1665 and 1669 are included under the topic Early Dell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dell Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Dell include Dell, Delle, Dells and others.

Early Notables of the Dell family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

William Dell (c. 1607-1669), an English clergyman from Bedfordshire, Master of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge from 1649 to 1660, and prominent radical Parliamentarian
Jonas Dell (d. 1665), was an English Quaker, who died at Stepney, and who is frequently referred to in the polemical writings of his time as 'the Quaking Soldier,' was at one time a soldier in the Par...

Dell Ranking

In the United States, the name Dell is the 4,076^th most popular surname with an estimated 7,461 people with that name. 7

Dell migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Dell or a variant listed above:

Dell Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

George Dell who settled first in Boston, and then moved to Salem Massachusetts, about the year 1630
George Dell, who landed in New England in 1651 8
William Dell, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1651 8
William Dell, who arrived in America in 1652 8
Mary Dell, who arrived in Maryland in 1656 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dell Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Edward Dell, who settled in Maryland in 1732
John Adam Dell, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1765 8
Nicholas Dell, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1772 8
Carlel Dell, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1792 8

Dell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John, Nicholas, and Thomas Dell all, who settled in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania between 1836 and 1855
Mrs. Dell, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1855 8
Jacob Dell, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1856 8
Michel Dell, aged 26, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1876 8
Ludwig Dell, aged 39, who arrived in NeW York, NY in 1884 8

Dell migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dell Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Adoram Dell U.E. who died in battle c. 1778 before claiming his lands brother of Henry he served in the 1st Battalion New Jersey Volunteers under Colonel Joseph Barton 9
Mr. Basnet Dell Sr., U.E. born in in New Jersey, USA from Oxford Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, USA who settled in Home District, Chippewa, Welland County, Niagara, Ontario c. 1788 he died in 1808, married to Hannah they had 8 children 9
Private Henry Dell U.E., "Dill" (b. 1754) born in Sussex County, New Jersey, USA from Oxford Township, Sussex County, New Jersey, USA who settled in Home District, Wainfleet Township, Welland County, Niagara, Ontario c. 1788 he enlisted in 1777 served in New Jersey Volunteers 1st Battalion with Captain Silas Hopkins Company, married to Anna Marr they had 8 children he died in 1802 in Willoughby, Ontario 9

Dell Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Abram Dell, who arrived in Manitoba in 1875
Heinrich Dell, who arrived in Manitoba in 1879

Dell migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dell Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Joseph Dell, English convict who was convicted in Buckinghamshire, England for life, transported aboard the "Claudine" on 19th August 1829, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 10
William Benjamin Dell, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Arab" on February 22, 1834, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 11
R.M. Dell, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Derwent" in 1849 12

Dell migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Dell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. George Dell, British settler travelling from Portsmouth aboard the ship "Duke of Portland" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 13th October 1851 13
Mr. Josiah Dell, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Solent" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 30th July 1857 14
Mrs. Dell, British settler with 2 children travelling from London aboard the ship "Solent" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 30th July 1857 14
James Dell, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Triumph" in 1883
Maria Dell, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Triumph" in 1883
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Dell (post 1700) +

Michael Saul Dell (b. 1965), American business magnate, founder and chief executive officer of Dell Inc, ranked the 41st richest person in the world on 2012 Forbes list of billionaires
Floyd Dell, American journalist, novelist, and playwright
Howard L. Dell, American Republican politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 62nd District, 1968, 1970 15
George T. Dell, American politician, Mayor of Longmont, Colorado, 1885-87 15
Eldon H. Dell Jr., American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives 76th District, 1964 15
Dwight Dell, American politician, Independent Candidate for U.S. Senator from Nebraska, 1952 15
Donna Dell, American politician, American Independent Candidate for Presidential Elector for Michigan, 1976 15
Diana Dell, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Massachusetts, 2004 15
Clarence B. Dell (1899-1998), American Republican politician, Chair of Mackinac County Republican Party, 1940-54; Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention from Chippewa District, 1961-62 15
Christopher William Dell (b. 1956), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Algeria, 2001 15
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. 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)
"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 18th February 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/claudine
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Arab voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1834 with 230 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/arab/1834
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) The DERWENT 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849Derwent.htm
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html