Contents [hide]

Dales History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Dales History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Etymology of Dales

What does the name Dales mean?

The ancestry of the name Dales dates from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. It comes from when the family lived 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 Dales family

The surname Dales 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 Dales family

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

Dales Spelling Variations

Spelling variations in names were a common occurrence before English spelling was standardized a few hundred years ago. In the Middle Ages, even the literate spelled their names differently as the English language incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other European languages. Many variations of the name Dales have been found, including Dale, Daile, Dales, Dayle, Daele and others.

Early Notables of the Dales 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 Dales Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dales Ranking

In the United States, the name Dales is the 15,546^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8

Dales migration to the United States +

Families began migrating abroad in enormous numbers because of the political and religious discontent in England. Often faced with persecution and starvation in England, the possibilities of the New World attracted many English people. Although the ocean trips took many lives, those who did get to North America were instrumental in building the necessary groundwork for what would become for new powerful nations. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America bore the name Dales, or a variant listed above:

Dales Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Francis Dales, aged 20, who arrived in Isla de Providencia in 1635 aboard the ship "Expectation" 9

Dales Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

John Dales, aged 41, who arrived in New York in 1812 9
Margaret Dales, aged 20, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Memphis" in 1844 10
Peggy Dales, aged 15, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Memphis" in 1844 10
Alexr Dales, aged 19, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Memphis" in 1844 10
Sarah Dales, aged 25, who arrived in Ellis Island, New York aboard the ship "Patrick Henry" in 1849 10
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dales migration to Australia +

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

Dales Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Luke Dales, English convict who was convicted in Beverley, Yorkshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Bangalore" on 28th March 1848, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) from Bermuda 11
Mr. John Dales, English convict who was convicted in Spilsby, Lincolnshire, England for 10 years, transported aboard the "Fairlie" on 9th Mary 1852, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Island) 12

Dales Settlers in Australia in the 20th Century

H. W. Dales, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Osterley" in 1925 13
Child Dales, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Bendigo" in 1925 13
Mrs. G. Dales, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Bendigo" in 1925 13
Mr. Robt Dales, who arrived in Sydney, Australia aboard the ship "Benalla" in 1927 13
Mrs. K. Dales, who arrived in Sydney, Australia aboard the ship "Narkunda" in 1938 13
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dales 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:

Dales Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Robert J. Dales, aged 20, a farm labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Collingwood" in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Dales (post 1700) +

Burke Dales (1977-2024), professional Canadian football punter

Citations +

Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
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)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
Ellis Island Search retrieved 9th February 2023. Retrieved from https://heritage.statueofliberty.org/passenger-result
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 15th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/bangalore
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 26th September 2022). https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/fairlie
National Archives of Australia Retrieved 9th February 2023. Retrieved from https://recordsearch.naa.gov.au/SearchNRetrieve/Interface/ListingReports/PassengerListing.aspx