First found in Austria, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation.

Austria was made a republic after the First World War. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was broken up by the Treaty of Versailles and many of its people found themselves in the new nation of Czechoslovakia. Many other Austrians and expatriate Austrians made their way to North America in the 20th century. Most landed in Philadelphia, later continuing on to the states of Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Some Austrian settlers also went to western Canada and Ontario. Research into the Origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Dahlem or a variant listed above: Heinrich Dahlen, age 27; who arrived in America in 1776; Johann Dahler came to Canada in 1783; Sophie Dahlen settled in Texas in 1852; Martin Dahlem came to Philadelphia in 1856..

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