Dials History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Etymology of Dials

What does the name Dials mean?

The Anglo-Saxon name Dials comes from when the family resided 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 Dials family

The surname Dials 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 Dials family

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

Dials Spelling Variations

The English language only became standardized in the last few centuries; therefore,spelling variations are common among early Anglo-Saxon names. As the form of the English language changed, even the spelling of literate people's names evolved. Dials has been recorded under many different variations, including Dale, Daile, Dales, Dayle, Daele and others.

Early Notables of the Dials family

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. 7 Sir Thomas Dale (d. 1619), was a British Naval Commander sent in 1609 to Virginia as marshal of the colony, the government of which was then reorganised on a military footing under Lord...
Another 89 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dials Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dials Ranking

In the United States, the name Dials is the 14,930^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 8

Dials migration to the United States +

For many English families, the political and religious disarray that shrouded England made the far away New World an attractive prospect. On cramped disease-ridden ships, thousands migrated to those British colonies that would eventually become Canada and the United States. Those hardy settlers that survived the journey often went on to make important contributions to the emerging nations in which they landed. Analysis of immigration records indicates that some of the first North American immigrants bore the name Dials or a variant listed above:

Dials Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Adam Dials, who arrived in New Jersey in 1744 9

Contemporary Notables of the name Dials (post 1700) +

Terence Jerome Dials Jr. (b. 1983), American professional basketball player
Oland Cecil "Lou" Dials (1904-1994), American baseball player in the Negro Leagues

Sources +

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)