Contents [hide]

Dash History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Dash History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The name Dash reached England in the great wave of migration following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Dash family lived in Worcestershire. The family was originally from D'Assche, Normandy 1 or "from At Ash; from residence near an ash-tree." 2

The initial "D" is a retention of the French prefix "de", meaning "of", indicating the local nature of the name. Other surnames that have been similarly derived are Nash, Tash and Daysh.

Early Origins of the Dash family

The surname Dash was first found in Worcestershire where Richard del Eshe was recorded in the Assize Rolls of 1221. Later, Ralph de Asche was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1296. Richard Dasche whose name was recorded in the "Calendar of Letter Books of the City of London" in 1301. 3

Early History of the Dash family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dash research. Another 76 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1200 is included under the topic Early Dash History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dash Spelling Variations

Before the advent of the printing press and the first dictionaries, the English language was not standardized. Sound was what guided spelling in the Middle Ages, so one person's name was often recorded under several variations during a single lifetime. Spelling variations were common, even among the names of the most literate people. Known variations of the Dash family name include Dash, Dashe, Daishe and others.

Early Notables of the Dash family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was

Joseph Dash of Crooked Lane

Dash Ranking

In the United States, the name Dash is the 7,683^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Dash family to Ireland

Some of the Dash family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 42 words (3 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dash migration to the United States +

To escape the political and religious chaos of this era, thousands of English families began to migrate to the New World in search of land and freedom from religious and political persecution. The passage was expensive and the ships were dark, crowded, and unsafe; however, those who made the voyage safely were encountered opportunities that were not available to them in their homeland. Many of the families that reached the New World at this time went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations of the United States and Canada. Research into various historical records has revealed some of first members of the Dash family to immigrate North America:

Dash Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Dash, who landed in Virginia in 1622 5
John Dash, who landed in Maryland in 1661 5

Dash Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

John Dash, who settled in Virginia in 1774

Dash Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Dash, who arrived in South Carolina in 1822
Joseph Dash, who arrived in San Francisco in 1852

Dash Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. Norman Dash, (b. 1884), aged 21, Cornish engineer, from Truro, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Oceanic" arriving at Ellis Island, New York in 1905 en route to Massachusetts, USA 6

Dash 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:

Dash Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Dash, who landed in Wellington, New Zealand in 1840
Mr. J. Dash, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Glenmark" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 12th December 1868 7
Mrs. Elizabeth Dash, (b. 1826), aged 44, British nurse travelling from London aboard the ship 'Merope' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 27th October 1870 7
Mr. Charles Dash, (b. 1847), aged 23, British farm labourer travelling from London aboard the ship 'Merope' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 27th October 1870 7
Miss Louisa Dash, (b. 1849), aged 21, British general servant travelling from London aboard the ship 'Merope' arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 27th October 1870 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Dash (post 1700) +

Sarah Dash (1945-2021), American singer and actress who first appeared on the music scene as a member of Patti LaBelle & The Bluebelles
Stacey Dash, American actress
Sir Royden Dash,
Samuel Dash, chief counsel for the House Judiciary Committee during the Watergate scandal

Citations +

Barber, Henry, British Family Names London: Elliot Stock, 62 Paternoster Row, 1894. Print.
Charnock, Richard, Stephen, Ludus Patronymicus of The Etymology of Curious Surnames. London: Trubner & Co., 60 Paternoster Row, 1868. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html