Show ContentsDyall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the bearers of the Dyall family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in the area referred to as the daleor a valley. 1 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 Dyall family

The surname Dyall was first found in Yorkshire where the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Thomas del Dale; Willelmus at Dale; and Johannes at Dale as all holding lands there at that time. 4

Actually there were earlier listings of the family that should now be mentioned. Those were found in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 and both were in Suffolk: Ralph de la Dale and Thomas de la Dale. 4

Sir Thomas de la Dale (c.1316-1373) was an English-born judge and landowner, who held the office of Lord Chief Justice of Ireland, and also served as Lord Deputy of Ireland. He was born at Little Barford, Bedfordshire, son of Thomas de la Dale.

John atte Dale was listed in the Subsidy Rolls for Sussex in 1327 and later, Nicholas Daile was listed a Freeman of York in 1481. 5

Further to the north in Scotland, we found Johannes de Dale was charter witness at Yester, 1374 and later, Syme of Daile and Jok of Dail of the Newtoun was listed in Ayrshire, 1470. 6

Early History of the Dyall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dyall research. Another 121 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1275, 1379, 1541, 1542, 1545, 1562, 1567, 1570, 1589, 1609, 1611, 1614, 1616, 1619, 1634, 1659, 1674, 1686 and 1739 are included under the topic Early Dyall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dyall Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Dyall include Dale, Daile, Dales, Dayle, Daele and others.

Early Notables of the Dyall family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Valentine Dale (d. 1589), English civilian and diplomatist, supplicated the University of Oxford in 1541 for the degree of B.A., but does not appear to have been admitted. He was, however, elected a fellow of All Souls' College in 1542. In 1562, he was Ambassador in Flanders, receiving his final despatch from the regent on 6 Feb. 7Sir Thomas Dale (d. 1619), was a British Naval Commander sent in 1609 to Virginia as marshal of the colony, the government of which was...
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dyall Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Dyall migration to the United States +

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Dyall or a variant listed above:

Dyall Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Joan Dyall, who arrived in Virginia in 1703 8


  1. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  2. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. 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. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  8. 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)


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