Dille History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Ireland

The surname is one of the Anglo-Norman names that arrived in Ireland in the wake of the 12th century invasion by Richard "Strongbow" de Clare, 2nd Earl of Pembroke. The surname Dille belongs to the large category of Anglo-Norman habitation names, which are derived from pre-existing names for towns, villages, parishes, or farmsteads. Originally, these place names were prefixed by de, which means from in French. The name of the Dille family comes from the name of the town of Lyon in central France. In France, the name may also have been a nickname for a fierce or brave warrior, as derived from the Old French word "lion," which meant "lion." The Irish Gaelic form of the surname Dille is Diolún.

Early Origins of the Dille family

The surname Dille was first found in at Drumrany in County Westmeath (Irish: An Iarmhí) in the Irish Midlands, province of Leinster, where they were the Barons of Drumrany. The Dillon family is descended from Sir Henry de Leon, a member of a noble Breton family who came to Ireland in 1185, in the service of the Earl of Morton, who later became King John. For de Leon's service, King John granted him MacCarrons territory, part of Annaly, and other vast possessions, including a castle at Dunimon.

Early History of the Dille family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dille research. Another 184 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1533, 1572, 1605, 1610, 1615, 1624, 1627, 1629, 1630, 1633, 1642, 1649, 1652, 1672, 1674, 1682, 1685, 1689, 1691, 1713, 1715 and 1794 are included under the topic Early Dille History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dille Spelling Variations

Church officials and medieval scribes spelled names as they sounded; therefore, single person, could have his name spelt many different ways during their lifetime. While investigating the origins of the name Dille, many spelling variations were encountered, including: Dillon, Delion, Dilune, Dilon, Dylon, Dillan, Dillen and many more.

Early Notables of the Dille family

Notable amongst the family up to this time was Sir Bartholomew Dillon (died 1533), a leading Irish judge who held the offices of Chief Baron of the Irish Exchequer and Lord Justice of Ireland. Hewas born at Riverston, County Meath. Theobald Dillon, 1st Viscount Dillon (died 1624), was an Irish military commander and adventurer who claimed descent from the Anglo-Norman Henry le Dillon; Lucas Dillon, 2nd Viscount Dillon (1610-1629); Theobald Dillon, 3rd Viscount Dillon (1629-1630); Thomas Dillon, 4th Viscount Dillon (1615-1672); Thomas Dillon, 5th Viscount Dillon (d. 1674); Lucas Dillon, 6th Viscount Dillon (d. 1682); Theobald Dillon, 7th Viscount Dillon...
Another 100 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dille Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dille Ranking

In the United States, the name Dille is the 14,083^rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Dille migration to the United States +

Ireland's Great Potato Famine left the country's inhabitants in extreme poverty and starvation. Many families left their homeland for North America for the promise of work, freedom and land ownership. Although the Irish were not free of economic and racial discrimination in North America, they did contribute greatly to the rapid development of bridges, canals, roads, and railways. Eventually, they would be accepted in other areas such as commerce, education, and the arts. An examination of immigration and passenger lists revealed many bearing the name Dille:

Dille Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

David Dille, who arrived in Ohio in 1833 2
Ludwig Dille, who arrived in Ohio in 1833 2
Heinr Dille, aged 34, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1845 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Dille (post 1700) +

Steve Dille (b. 1945), American politician, Member of the Minnesota Senate from the 18th district (1993-2011)
Robert Orville "Bob" Dille (1917-1998), retired American professional basketball player
Flint Dille (b. 1955), American screenwriter, game designer, and novelist, best known for his work on An American Tail: Fievel Goes West (1991), The Chronicles of Riddick: Escape from Butcher Bay (2004) and Starship Troopers: Invasion (2012)
Arthur L. Dille, American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Omsk, 1919 3
Wilhelmina Ruurdina "Willie" Dille (b. 1965), former Dutch politician

The Dille 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: Dum spiro spero
Motto Translation: While I have breath I hope.

Citations +

"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html