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![Show Contents]() Dels History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The Dels name has descended through the generations from the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture. Their name comes from having lived beside the water. The surname Dels originally derived from the Old English word dell which referred to someone who inhabited an area close to a body of water or glade. 1 Another source has a slightly different interpretation; having derived from the Saxon dialect "a dweller by the water," or "dell" a glade. 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 Dels familyThe surname Dels was first found in Suffolk where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Ralph de la Dale and Thomas de la Dale as holding lands there at that time. 4 William and Robert atte Delle were listed in the Subsidy Rolls of Sussex in 1296. 5 Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls listed Thomas del Dale; Robertus del Dale; Willelmus at Dale; and Johannes at Dale. 4 Up in Scotland, the first record there was Johannes de Dale who was charter witness at Yester, 1374, and later, Syme of Daile and Jok of Dail of the Newtoun were both listed in Ayrshire in 1470. 6 Early History of the Dels familyThis web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dels research. Another 44 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1607, 1649, 1657, 1658, 1660, 1665 and 1669 are included under the topic Early Dels History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Dels Spelling VariationsOnly recently has spelling become standardized in the English language. As the English language evolved in the Middle Ages, the spelling of names changed also. The name Dels has undergone many spelling variations, including Dell, Delle, Dells and others. Early Notables of the Dels familyNotables of this surname at this time include: William Dell (c. 1607-1669), an English clergyman from Bedfordshire, Master of Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge from 1649 to 1660, and prominent radical Parliamentarian.
Jonas Dell (d. 1665), was an English Quaker, who died at Stepney...
Another 43 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dels Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible. Migration of the Dels familyTo escape the unstable social climate in England of this time, many families boarded ships for the New World with the hope of finding land, opportunity, and greater religious and political freedom. Although the voyages were expensive, crowded, and difficult, those families that arrived often found greater opportunities and freedoms than they could have experienced at home. Many of those families went on to make significant contributions to the rapidly developing colonies in which they settled. Early North American records indicate many people bearing the name Dels were among those contributors: George Dell who settled first in Boston, and then moved to Salem Massachusetts, about the year 1630. He became a freeman in the year 1651. He was a merchant and died on a voyage to England in 1654. Thomas Dell settled in Pennsylvania in 1682.
- Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
- Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. 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)
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