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D'alton History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables World Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

D'alton History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Ireland already had an established system of hereditary surnames when the Strongbownians arrived. Often the two traditions blended together quite well due to some of their basic similarities, but the incoming Anglo-Norman system brought in some forms that were uncommon amongst the Irish. One of these Anglo-Norman anomalies was the prevalence of local surnames, such as D'alton. Local names were taken from the names of a place or a geographical feature where the person lived, held land, or was born. Originally, the place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. This type of prefix was eventually either made a part of the surname if the place name began with a vowel or was eliminated entirely. The local surnames of these Strongbownian invaders referred to places in Normandy, or more typically England, but eventually for those Anglo-Normans that remained in Ireland, the nicknames referred to places or geographical features of the island: they became true local names. The D'alton family appears to have originally lived in one of the various places called Alton in England. The name usually means old farmstead or farmstead at the source of a river. The surname D'alton belongs to the class of topographic surnames, which were given to people who resided near physical features such as hills, streams, churches, or types of trees. The modern form of the surname is D'Alton derived from the original Gaelic form of the surname de Dalatún.

Early Origins of the D'alton family

The surname D'alton was first found in Alton, England where one source claims a Walter fled to "from France having incurred the wrath of the French king by secretly marrying his daughter."1 Another source has a clearer version of origin, namely: "that Sir Waltero de Aliton, a Frenchman, aspiring to gain the affections of his king's daughter, so incurred the displeasure of her father, that, to avoid the fury of an incensed Monarch, Sir Walterio, with his lady, privately, retired into Ireland." This same Walterio fought so valiantly that he was made "governor of the borders of Meath" where he "acquired great estates and possessions." 2 Essentially, the origins are similar; Walter (Walterio) fled with the king's daughter to England (Ireland.) We will probably never know which rendition is true, but we do know that the surname was in Ireland as early as the 13th century, so much so that the name had a Gaelic version: Dalatún.

Early History of the D'alton family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our D'alton research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1369, 1561, 1610, 1659, 1679, 1792 and 1867 are included under the topic Early D'alton History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

D'alton Spelling Variations

Medieval scribes and church officials spelt names simply the way they sounded, which explains the various name spelling variations of the name D'alton that were encountered when researching that surname. The many spelling variations included: Dalton, Alton, Daltone, D'Alton, Daulton, Daltoun, Altown, Altoun, Altowne, Altone, Daltowne, Daltoune, Dalten, Daltin, Dallton and many more.

Early Notables of the D'alton family

Another 50 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early D'alton Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

D'alton World Ranking

In the United States, the name D'alton is the 608^th most popular surname with an estimated 47,253 people with that name. 3 However, in Newfoundland, Canada, the name D'alton is ranked the 120^th most popular surname with an estimated 299 people with that name. 4 And in Australia, the name D'alton is the 396^th popular surname with an estimated 9,360 people with that name. 5 New Zealand ranks D'alton as 552^nd with 1,273 people. 6 The United Kingdom ranks D'alton as 592^nd with 11,030 people. 7

D'alton migration to the United States +

During the middle of the 19th century, Irish families often experienced extreme poverty and racial discrimination in their own homeland under English rule. Record numbers died of disease and starvation and many others, deciding against such a fate, boarded ships bound for North America. The largest influx of Irish settlers occurred with Great Potato Famine of the late 1840s. Unfortunately, many of those Irish that arrived in Canada or the United States still experienced economic and racial discrimination. Although often maligned, these Irish people were essential to the rapid development of these countries because they provided the cheap labor required for the many canals, roads, railways, and other projects required for strong national infrastructures. Eventually the Irish went on to make contributions in the less backbreaking and more intellectual arenas of commerce, education, and the arts. Research early immigration and passenger lists revealed many early immigrants bearing the name D'alton:

D'alton Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Philemon Dalton, aged 45, linen weaver arrived on the ship "Increase" in the year 1635 8
Mrs. Hanna Dalton, aged 35, who arrived in New England in 1635, aboard the ship "Increase" 8
Samuel Dalton, who landed in Hampton, NH in 1635 8
Samuel Dalton, aged 5, who arrived in New England in 1635 aboard the ship "Increase" 8
William Dalton is recorded as arriving on the "Goodfellow" in 1654, having been sent by the command of the English Government, after the Cromwellian Invasions of Ireland
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

D'alton Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Thomas Dalton, who arrived in Virginia in 1714 8
James Dalton, who arrived in Boston, Massachusetts in 1766 8
John Dalton, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1768 8
Edward Dalton, aged 28, who arrived in New England in 1774 8

D'alton Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas Dalton, who landed in America in 1810 8
Andrew Dalton, aged 25, who arrived in New York in 1812 8
Patrick Dalton, aged 26, who landed in Maryland in 1813 8
Henry Dalton, who landed in New York, NY in 1815 8
Mrs. Dalton, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1822 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

D'alton migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

D'alton Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Catherine Dalton, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1811
Richard Dalton, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1834
Ellen Dalton, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1835
Thomas Dalton, aged 35, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick in 1838 aboard the barque "Rebecca" from Liverpool, England
Margaret Dalton, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1839
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

D'alton migration to Australia +

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

D'alton Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. John Dalton, (b. 1788), aged 21, Irish convict who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Boyd" on 10th March 1809, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 9
James Dalton, French convict from Valenciennes, who was transported aboard the "Almorah" on April 1817, settling in New South Wales, Australia 10
Mr. Alexander Dalton, British Convict who was convicted in Gibraltar for 14 years, transported aboard the "Caledonia" on 5th July 1820, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 11
Mr. John Dalton, (Datton), (b. 1780), aged 40, Irish coachman who was convicted in Dublin, Ireland for 14 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Dorothy" on 5th May 1820, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 12
Mr. Peter Dalton, Jr., (b. 1806), aged 20, English convict who was convicted in Lancaster, Lancashire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Earl St Vincent" on 20th April 1826, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he was killed in 1830 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

D'alton 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:

D'alton Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Annie Dalton, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1842
Mr. David Dalton, British settler, as the 2nd Detachment of New Zealand Corps of Royal New Zealand Fencibles travelling from Gravesend aboard the ship "Minerva" arriving in Auckland, New Zealand on 8th October 1847 14
Ellen Dalton, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Cashmere" in 1853 15
Miss Sophia Dalton, (b. 1835), aged 24, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mary Anne" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th August 1859 14
Miss Martha Dalton, (b. 1839), aged 20, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Mary Anne" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 4th August 1859 14
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name D'alton (post 1700) +

John Dalton FRS (1766-1844), English chemist, meteorologist and physicist, best known for his research into color blindness often named Daltonism in his honor and for developing the modern atomic theory
John David Dalton (1942-2022), British born-American author and a founding editor of Rolling Stone magazine
Major-General Joseph Nicholas Dalton (1892-1961), American Director of Personnel, Army Service Forces (1945-1946) 16
Brigadier-General James Leo II Dalton (1910-1945), American Assistant Commanding General 25th Division (1945) 17
Irene Dalton (1901-1934), American actress
George Dalton (b. 1947), American playwright
Lional Dalton (b. 1975), American NFL football player
Emmett Dalton (1861-1937), U.S. outlaw, member of the Dalton Gang who later became an author and actor
Henry Dalton (b. 1847), American physician
Booker Dalton (1869-1948), American politician, Member of Virginia State House of Delegates, 1913-15
... (Another 62 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the D'alton family +

HMAS Sydney II

Mr. Lionel Sydney Dalton (1902-1941), Australian Commander (E) from Mosman, New South Wales, Australia, who sailed into battle aboard HMAS Sydney II and died in the sinking 18

SS Newfoundland

Mr. Jacob Dalton, Newfoundlander from Little Catalina, who on the 30th March 1914 he was part of the Seal Crew of the "SS Newfoundland" leaving the ship to intercept the Stephano which took him to the hunting grounds, he disembarked to begin sealing, but was caught in a thickening storm, attempting to return to the Newfoundland he and the 132 crew made camp for two days the sealers were stranded on the ice in a blizzard attempting to return to the ship, he survived

The D'alton Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Tristus et fidelis
Motto Translation: Sad and faithful

Citations +

MacLysaght, Edward, Irish Families Their Names, Arms and Origins 4th Edition. Dublin: Irish Academic, 1982. Print. (ISBN 0-7165-2364-7)
O'Hart, John, Irish Pedigrees 5th Edition in 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 1976. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0737-4)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
"Most Common Last Names in Australia." Forebears, https://forebears.io/australia/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in New Zealand." Forebears, https://forebears.io/new-zealand/surnames
"UK surname ranking." UK Surname map, https://www.surnamemap.eu/unitedkingdom/surnames_ranking.php?p=10
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 27th October 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/Boyd
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2016, October 27) Almorah voyage to New South Wales, Australia in 1817 with 180 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/almorah/1817
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 25th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/caledonia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 12th July 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/dorothy
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 14th September 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-st-vincent
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 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, January 10) Joseph Dalton. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Dalton/Joseph_Nicholas/USA.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, January 10) James Dalton. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Dalton/James_Leo_II/USA.html
HMAS Sydney II, Finding Sydney Foundation - Roll of Honour. (Retrieved 2014, April 24) . Retrieved from http://www.findingsydney.com/roll.asp