Show ContentsDeller History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The origins of the Deller name lie with England's ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. It comes from when the family lived beside the water. The surname Deller 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 Deller family

The surname Deller 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 Deller family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Deller 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 Deller History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Deller Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Deller were recorded, including Dell, Delle, Dells and others.

Early Notables of the Deller 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...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Deller Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Deller migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Deller family emigrate to North America:

Deller Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Georg Deller, who settled in America in 1749
  • Georg Deller, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1749 7
Deller Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Lawrenz Deller, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1840 7
  • Abraham Deller, who settled in Michigan in 1848
  • Friedrich Deller, who settled in New York, NY in 1853
  • C. Deller, who settled in Baltimore in 1854
  • Adam Peter Deller, who settled in Ohio in 1854
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Canada Deller migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Deller Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • James Deller, who arrived in Ontario in 1871

Australia Deller migration to Australia +

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

Deller Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Deller, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 22nd September 1819, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 8
  • William Deller, aged 39, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1854 aboard the ship "Navarino" 9

New Zealand Deller 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:

Deller Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • G. W. Deller, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "St. Leonards" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Deller (post 1700) +

  • Reginald Patrick Deller (b. 1933), former English cricketer
  • Mark Deller (b. 1938), English countertenor and conductor, son of Alfred Deller
  • Keith Deller (b. 1959), English darts player, Embassy World Professional Darts Champion in 1983
  • Alfred George Deller CBE (1912-1979), English countertenor, referred to as the "godfather of the countertenor"
  • Jeremy Deller (b. 1966), English artist
  • Florian Johann Deller (1729-1773), Austrian composer and violinist
  • William "Bill" Deller OAM (b. 1943), former Australian rules football field umpire and administrator
  • Martin Deller, Canadian musician from Toronto


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  3. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  4. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  5. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  6. 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)
  7. 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)
  8. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 10th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  9. South Australian Register Monday 14th August 1854. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Navarino 1854. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/navarino1854.shtml


Houseofnames.com on Facebook