Show ContentsDulay History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Dulay surname is generally thought to derive from a place name, perhaps Pont Doylly, or Duilly in Normandy. Alternatively, the Oyler, Ollier and similar spellings could have been derived from the English occupational name for an extractor or seller of oil having derived from the Anglo-Norman French word "olier" from "oile." In northern England linseed oil was commonly derived from flax and used as a substitute for olive oil. [1]

Early Origins of the Dulay family

The surname Dulay was first found in Oxfordshire where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, [2] indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Eynsham held by Columban, a Norman noble as under tenant of the Bishop of Lincoln who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. His overlord was Robert d'Ouilli.

Early History of the Dulay family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dulay research. Another 182 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1071, 1073, 1120, 1129, 1354, 1542, 1573, 1576, 1577, 1585, 1605, 1614, 1616, 1633, 1640, 1641, 1663, 1666, 1677, 1709 and 1815 are included under the topic Early Dulay History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dulay Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Doyley, D'Oyley, Doyle, D'Oyle, Doylee, Doley, Duley, Duly, Duely, Dueley, Ollie, Oyler, Oylie, D'Oyly, Olley, Oulley, Oullie, Ollie, Owley, Oyly, Oilli, Oiley, L'Oyle and many more.

Early Notables of the Dulay family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Thomas D'Oyley (fl. 1585), English antiquary, the second son of Sir Henry D'Oyly, knight, of Pondhall in the parish of Hadleigh, Suffolk; Robert D'Oyley (1542-1577) of Hambleden, Buckinghamshire, who was Sheriff of Oxfordshire in 1573; and Sir Cope Doyley (d. 1633), who inherited Hambleden Manor, Buckinghamshire in...
Another 54 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dulay Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Dulay migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dulay Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Dulay, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 [3]

Canada Dulay migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dulay Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Lt. John Dulmage U.E. (b. 1738) born in Ireland from Camden Valley, New York, USA who settled in Edwardsburgh-Cardinal, Leeds & Grenville, Ontario c. 1788 he enlisted in 1776 served in Jessup's Loyal Rangers and King's Loyal Americans, married to Sophia Heck they had 7 children [4]


  1. Hanks, Patricia and Flavia Hodges, A Dictionary of Surnames. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1988. Print. (ISBN 0-19-211592-8)
  2. Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
  3. 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)
  4. 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


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