Show ContentsDalzell History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname is descended from a Norman noble who entered England in 1066 and was granted lands in England but was invited north by King David of Scotland about the year 1150, who granted him the lands of Dalyell. In Lanarkshire they were officially seated from the year 1259 on the lands of Dalyell meaning 'the beautiful meadow' on the banks of the River Clyde.

A word of explanation on the different spellings and pronunciations of this name is needed as its always been a source of confusion. The following ancient rhyme from Galloway (in South-West Scotland) perhaps indicates some of the early problems with the name: "Deil and Da'yell begins wi' ae letter, Deil's nae gude, and Da'yells nae better."

Early Origins of the Dalzell family

The surname Dalzell was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow, where they were officially seated from the year 1259 on the lands of Dalyell meaning "the beautiful meadow" on the banks of the River Clyde.

They are descended from a Norman noble who entered England in 1066 and was granted lands in England but was invited north by King David of Scotland about the year 1150, who granted him the lands of Dalyell.

"It is said to have given name to the family upon whom the barony of Dalziel was bestowed by Kenneth II., in recompeuse of some exploit performed by them in the service of that monarch. " 1

Dalzell House, a historic house in Motherwell, North Lanarkshire was built by the Dalzell family in the 15th or early 16th century on lands they had held since the 13th century. Sir Robert Dalzell forfeited these same lands around 1342, for residing in England without the King's consent, but they were restored through marriage in the 15th century.

The House is said to be haunted by three female ghosts all in different colored attire: green; white; and grey. The site was re-developed in the 1980s to be private apartments after falling into disrepair from the 1950s onwards.

Hugh the Dull (1294-c. 1346) was Lord of Douglas, a Scottish nobleman and cleric. He was the second son of William the Hardy, Lord of Douglas and while the name Dull is a known variant of this family, he was in fact a Douglas. However, Dull is today is a village in Perth and Kinross, Scotland and in this case, literally means "a plain" from the Gaelic 2 Another early record for the family shows "Bethan de Doul and Kenachy, and his brother, were jurors on an inquisition held at Perth before Malise, Earl of Stratherne, 1305." 3

Early History of the Dalzell family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dalzell research. Another 260 words (19 lines of text) covering the years 1550, 1615, 1628, 1633, 1636, 1639, 1649, 1662, 1685, 1686, 1687, 1689, 1702, 1715, 1737, 1835, 1890 and 1941 are included under the topic Early Dalzell History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dalzell Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dalyell, Dalyiel, Dalzell, Dalziel, Dallyell, Daleel, Dalliel, Dalzel and many more.

Early Notables of the Dalzell family

Notable among the family at this time was

  • Robert Dalzell (1550-1636), English 1st Lord Dalzell, created a Lord in 1628, by King Charles I of England
  • Sir Robert Dalzell, 1st Baronet (1639-1686), a Scottish politician
  • Sir John Dalzell, 2nd Baronet (died 1689), a Scottish politician
  • Robert Dalzell, 5th Earl of Carnwath, (1687-1737), known as Sir Robert Dalzell, 3rd Baronet from 1689 until 1702, a Scottish nobleman and Jacobite supporter

Dalzell Ranking

In the United States, the name Dalzell is the 16,581st most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Dalzell family to Ireland

Some of the Dalzell family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


Dalzell migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dalzell Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Dalzell, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1819 5
  • Matthew Dalzell, aged 41, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1827 5
  • James Dalzell, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1829 5
  • William Dalzell, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1831 5
  • Thomas Dalzell, who arrived in Washington County, Pennsylvania in 1835 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dalzell migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dalzell Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Edward Dalzell U.E., "Dalzall" who settled in Parr Town [Saint John], New Brunswick c. 1784 6
Dalzell Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Alexander Dalzell, aged 23 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Lady Gordon" departing from the port of Belfast, Ireland but died on Grosse Isle on 14th June 1847 7

Dalzell 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:

Dalzell Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Dalzell, (b. 1845), aged 18, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Huntress" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st April 1863 8
  • Mr. Robert Dalzell, (b. 1846), aged 20, British labourer travelling from London aboard the ship "John Temperley" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, South Island, New Zealand on 21st June 1866 8
  • William Dalzell, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Caroline Coventry" in 1869 9
  • Robert Dalzell, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Caroline Coventry" in 1869 9
  • Lizzie Dalzell, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Triumph" in 1883
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Dalzell (post 1700) +

  • Rick Dalzell (b. 1957), American Chief Information Officer and Senior Vice President of Amazon.com from 1997 until November 2007
  • Stewart R. Dalzell (b. 1943), American judge on the United States District Court
  • John Dalzell (1845-1927), American politician, U.S. Representative from the state of Pennsylvania
  • Theodore Paul Dalzell, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from California, 1932 10
  • Richard S. Dalzell, American politician, Candidate for village President of Alsip, Illinois, 2009 10
  • John Dalzell (1845-1927), American Republican politician, U.S. Representative from Pennsylvania, 1887-1913; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1904, 1908 10
  • Charles M. Dalzell, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Oklahoma, 1916 10
  • Charles J. Dalzell (b. 1886), American Democratic Party politician, Member of New York State Assembly, 1942-46 10
  • Amy Dalzell, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Texas, 2004 10
  • Lieutenant-General Robert Alexander Dalzell (1768-1839), 6th Earl of Carnwath, a Scottish nobleman and soldier
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
  3. 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)
  4. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  5. 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)
  6. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  7. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 23)
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 5th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  10. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, December 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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