Dills History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

The Dills name is an important part of the history of the ancient Anglo-Saxon tribes of Britain. Dills is derived from the baptismal name meaning the son of Dilk. The surname was originally of Dutch origin and was brought into England during the Norman Conquest of 1066. Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames.

Early Origins of the Dills family

The surname Dills was first found in Warwickshire. "Maxstoke Castle is the property of Capt. Thomas Dilke, R.N., a descendant of Sir Thomas Dilke, who purchased it in the 41st of Elizabeth from Sir Thomas Egerton, keeper of the great seal: the buildings occupy an irregular quadrilateral area, inclosed by an embattled wall, and defended at the angles by octagonal towers, and are in a fine state of preservation." 1

Other early records of the family include: Geoffrey Dylle who was in Somerset, 1 Edward III (during the first year's reign of Edward III), 2 and the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed Alan Dille in Cambridgeshire and Robert Dille in Buckinghamshire. 3

Further to the north in Scotland, "Thomas dictus Dyll witnessed a charter by John Skinner, burgess of Inverness, c. 1360 and Marjorie dicta Dyll held land in Inuernys, 1361." 4

Early History of the Dills family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dills research. Another 48 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1624, 1633, 1635, 1667, 1692 and 1707 are included under the topic Early Dills History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dills Spelling Variations

Before the last few hundred years, the English language had no fast system of spelling rules. For that reason, spelling variations are commonly found in early Anglo-Saxon surnames. Over the years, many variations of the name Dills were recorded, including Dilke, Dilkes, Dilks, Dilley, Dill, Dillow and others.

Early Notables of the Dills family

Distinguished members of the family include Roger Delk (Dilke, Delke, or Dilk) (died before 1635) English-born, representative for Stanley's Hundred in the House of Burgesses. He traveled from England to Virginia aboard the ship "Southampton" in 1624. He was indentured to John Chew and employed in 1624 on his plantation on Hog Island. He rose to represent the Stanley Hundred...
Another 60 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dills Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dills Ranking

In the United States, the name Dills is the 11,087^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 5

Dills migration to the United States +

To escape oppression and starvation at that time, many English families left for the "open frontiers" of the New World with all its perceived opportunities. In droves people migrated to the many British colonies, those in North America in particular, paying high rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Although many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, those who did see the shores of North America perceived great opportunities before them. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Research into various historical records revealed some of first members of the Dills family emigrate to North America:

Dills Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Jacob Dills, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 6
Moritz Wilh Dills, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1752 6

Contemporary Notables of the name Dills (post 1700) +

W. A. Dills, American politician, Member of North Carolina State House of Representatives from Jackson County, 1889-90 7
Robert M. Dills, American Republican politician, Candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly 11th District, 1974 7
Ralph C. Dills (1910-2002), American Democratic Party politician, Member of California State Assembly, 1938-49; Presidential Elector for California, 1944, 1948; Defeated, 1968, 1972; Member of California State Senate, 1967 7
John Ramsay Dills, American politician, Member of North Carolina State House of Representatives from Jackson County, 1856-57 7
Frances Dills, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Washington, 2000 7
Clayton A. Dills (b. 1908), American Democratic Party politician, Musician; Member of California State Assembly, 1942-62; Presidential Elector for California, 1948; Candidate for Presidential Elector for California, 1952 7

Historic Events for the Dills family +

Monongah Mine

Mr. John Dills (b. 1882), Latvian coal miner who was in mine 8 at the Monongah mine on 6th December 1907 when it exploded and collapsed; he died 8

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. 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)
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)
"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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Monongah Mining Disaster retrieved on 8th August 2021. (Retrieved fromhttps://usminedisasters.miningquiz.com/saxsewell/monongah.htm).