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Drysdale History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Drysdale History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland
England

The roots of the name Drysdale are found among the Strathclyde-Briton people of the ancient Scottish/English Borderlands. Drysdale was originally found in Dryfesdale, a parish in Annandale, Dumfriesshire. 1 "This parish, which derives its name from the Dryfe, a small rivulet running through the north-west part of it, contains several memorials of its ancient inhabitants, and of their domestic feuds or military operations. On the holm of Dryfe, half a mile below the former churchyard, there is still remaining an old thorntree pointing out the place of the celebrated fight on Dryfe-sands, between the Maxwells of Nithsdale and the Johnstons of Annandale, on the 7th December, 1593, when the former were defeated with great slaughter. " 2

Early Origins of the Drysdale family

The surname Drysdale was first found in Dumfriesshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Dhùn Phris), a Southern area, bordering on England that today forms part of the Dumfries and Galloway Council Area. Specifically, the family claims descent from Dryfesdale, a civil parish in Annandale. 1

The "dale" takes its name from the river Dryfe, commonly known as Dryfe Water. Lockerbie falls within the civil parish of Dryfesdale and is generally believed to have been an ancient Viking village c. 900. "There is also a Roman work situated upon an eminence in the centre of the extensive holm of Dryfe and Annan, and which is called GallaBerry, or the station of the Gauls. The most perfect relic of this kind, however, is the British fort at Dryfesdale-gate, occupying two acres of ground, and the counterpart of which is a large Roman work, about half a mile due east, separated only by a moor, on which a bloody battle was fought between the army of Julius Agricola and the forces of Corbredus Galdus, the Scottish king" 2

The Church of Dryfesdale was dedicated to St Cuthbert in 1116. One of the first records of the name was Gawine Dryfesdale and John Dryesdale in 1499 "for thare being aganis the Kingis hienes in the battell and feyld committit besyde Striuelin one Sanct Barnabeis day." 1

Early History of the Drysdale family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Drysdale research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1503, 1506, 1567, 1574, 1599, 1619, 1631, 1718, 1740, 1748, 1761, 1762, 1764, 1773, 1778, 1784, 1788 and 1801 are included under the topic Early Drysdale History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Drysdale Spelling Variations

In the era before dictionaries, there were no rules governing the spelling or translation of names or any other words. Consequently, there are an enormous number of spelling variations in Medieval Scottish names. Drysdale has appeared as Drysdale, Drisedale and others.

Early Notables of the Drysdale family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

John Drysdale (1718-1788), Scottish divine, third son of the Rev...
John Drysdale, by Anne, daughter of William Ferguson, born at Kirkaldy on 29 April 1718, and educated at the parish school in that town...
The call was sustained in the general assembly, even by the opponents of the claim, and Drysdale was admitted 14 Aug...

Drysdale Ranking

In the United States, the name Drysdale is the 13,802^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Drysdale family to Ireland

Some of the Drysdale family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Drysdale migration to the United States +

The freedom, opportunity, and land of the North American colonies beckoned. There, Scots found a place where they were generally free from persecution and where they could go on to become important players in the birth of new nations. Some fought in the American War of Independence, while others went north to Canada as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of all of these Scottish settlers have been able to recover their lost national heritage in the last century through highland games and Clan societies in North America. Among them:

Drysdale Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

James Drysdale who landed in Massachusetts in 1764
Ellen Drysdale, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1784 4

Drysdale Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Drysdale, who landed in Savanna(h), Georgia in 1808 4
Janet Drysdale, who arrived in New York in 1809 4
William Drysdale, who landed in America in 1850 4
Mr. David Drysdale, aged 47, Scottish settler who arrived in New York aboard the ship "Cynosure" in 1863
A R L Drysdale, who arrived in St Clair County, Illinois in 1870 4

Drysdale migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Drysdale Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

James Drysdale, who landed in Canada in 1815
James Drysdale, aged 52, a farmer, who arrived in Quebec aboard the ship "Dorothy" in 1815
Christian Drysdale, aged 50, who arrived in Quebec aboard the ship "Dorothy" in 1815
James Drysdale, who arrived in Canada in 1820
Robert Drysdale, who arrived in Canada in 1820

Drysdale migration to Australia +

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

Drysdale Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. James Drysdale, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "Countess of Harcourt" on 29th April 1828, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. George Drysdale, Scottish convict who was convicted in Perth, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cornwall" on 28th February 1851, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6

Drysdale 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:

Drysdale Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Drysdale, Scottish settler from Stirling travelling from Leith aboard the ship 'Melbourne' arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 18th March 1861 7
Miss Margaret Drysdale, (b. 1842), aged 21, Scottish domestic servant from Linlithgow travelling from London aboard the ship "Tiptree" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 20th January 1864 8
Mr. Drysdale, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Invercargill" arriving in Port Chalmers, Otago, New Zealand on 15th October 1874 7
Miss Anne Drysdale, (b. 1958), aged 18, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Pomona" arriving in Bluff, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 14th April 1876 8
James Drysdale, aged 23, a brickmaker, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rakaia" in 1879
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Drysdale (post 1700) +

Donald Scott "Don" Drysdale (1936-1993), American right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball, inducted into the Baseball Hall of Fame
Mary Douglas Drysdale, American Interior Designer, founder of Drysdale Design Associates in 1980
Taylor Drysdale (1914-1997), American competitive swimmer and swimming coach, inducted into the International Swimming Hall of Fame (1994)
Rebecca Drysdale (b. 1978), American comedian, former member of the Second City Chicago E.T.C. cast
Eric Drysdale (b. 1969), American five-time Emmy Award winning writer for The Colbert Report and The Daily Show on Comedy Central
Robert Drysdale (b. 1981), American-born, Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu black belt and professional mixed martial artist
Neil Drysdale (b. 1947), born in Haslemere, Surrey, England is an American based thoroughbred race horse trainer
Daniel "Dan" Drysdale (1901-1987), Scottish international rugby union player
David Drysdale (b. 1975), Scottish professional golfer
Wayne Ronald Drysdale, Canadian politician, MLA for Grande Prairie Wapiti (2008)
... (Another 15 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Drysdale family +

Halifax Explosion

Miss Evelyn Drysdale (1917-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who died in the Halifax Explosion (1917) 9
Mrs. Catherine A. Drysdale (1892-1917), Canadian resident from Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada who survived the Halifax Explosion (1917) but later died due to injuries 9

Citations +

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)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
"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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th April 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/countess-of-harcourt
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 11th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cornwall
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 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Halifax Explosion Book of Remembrance | Maritime Museum of the Atlantic. (Retrieved 2014, June 23) . Retrieved from https://maritimemuseum.novascotia.ca/what-see-do/halifax-explosion/halifax-explosion-book-remembrance