Show ContentsDingwall History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The chronicles of the Dingwall family suggest that their ancestors may have been Viking settlers. Their surname comes from a place name of Norse origins, from when they lived at Royal Burgh of Dingwall, in Ross-shire, Scotland. The place-name is derived from the Old English word dingle, which meant valley or hollow. This is a habitation surname, derived from an already existing place-name.

Early Origins of the Dingwall family

The surname Dingwall was first found in Ross-shire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Rois) a former county, now part of the Council Areas of Highland and Western Isles in Northern Scotland, which emerged from the Gaelic lordship of the Earl of Ross, where John Yonger of Dyngvale witnessed a charter by William, Earl of Ross in 1342. Another charter by the same earl was witnessed by John called Yong and Thomas, his brother (c. 1350-72.) A few years later, William of Dyngwale was listed as dean of Aberdeen and Ross in 1389. Thomas of Dyngvale was listed as a canon in 1451. 1

Early History of the Dingwall family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dingwall research. Another 134 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1350, 1452 and 1538 are included under the topic Early Dingwall History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dingwall Spelling Variations

The spellings of Scottish names dating from the medieval era often bear little resemblance to those seen today. They vary enormously because scribes in that time spelled according to their ears. Some spelling variations of the name Dingwall include Dingwall, Dingwalls, Dingall, Dingell, Dingle, Dingill, Dingal, Dingel and many more.

Early Notables of the Dingwall family

Notable amongst the Clan from early times was

  • Sir Thomas Dingwall who received the charter of Kildun in 1538


Dingwall migration to the United States +

The farms of Scottish settlers soon dotted the east coast of the colonies that would become the nations of the United States and Canada. Many of those migrants and their children went on to play important roles in the founding the great nations of North America. Early North American immigration records have revealed a number of people bearing the Scottish name Dingwall or a variant listed above, including:

Dingwall Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • James Dingwall, who landed in Colorado in 1886 2
  • John G Dingwall, who landed in Colorado in 1891 2
  • J. A. Dingwall, aged 30, who arrived in America, in 1892
  • J. A. Dingwall, aged 58, who arrived in America from London, England, in 1896
Dingwall Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Alex. Dingwall, aged 24, who arrived in America from Edinburgh, Scotland, in 1905
  • Alex. W. Dingwall, aged 23, who arrived in America from Glasgow, Scotland, in 1906
  • Dollie Dingwall, aged 26, who arrived in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in 1907
  • Helen Dingwall, aged 2, who arrived in America, in 1908
  • Charles Dingwall, aged 56, who arrived in America from London, England, in 1909
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dingwall migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dingwall Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. James Dingwall U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 3
Dingwall Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Daniel Dingwall, aged 20, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Perseus" in 1834
  • Robert Dingwall, aged 26, a farmer, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Perseus" in 1834
Dingwall Settlers in Canada in the 20th Century
  • Fred J. Dingwall, aged 26, who arrived in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in 1903
  • Donald Waverby Dingwall, aged 29, who arrived in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in 1909
  • Donald Waverley Dingwall, aged 32, who arrived in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in 1913
  • Annie L. Dingwall, aged 57, who arrived in America from Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada, in 1913

Dingwall migration to Australia +

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

Dingwall Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. George Dingwall, Scottish convict who was convicted in Edinburgh, Scotland for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

Dingwall 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:

Dingwall Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • A Dingwall, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1839
  • Alexander Dingwall, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1841
  • Alexander Dingwall, who landed in Auckland, New Zealand in 1843
  • Mr. Jas. Dingwall, British settler travelling from London aboard the ship "Nourmahal" arriving in Dunedin, Otaga, South Island, New Zealand on 5th May 1858 5
  • Miss Mary Dingwall (Lingwall), (b. 1841), aged 21, Scottish domestic servant, from Forfarshire travelling from London aboard the ship "Queen of Mersey" arriving in Lyttelton, Christchurch, Southland, South Island, New Zealand on 20th October 1862 6
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dingwall migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 7
Dingwall Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
  • Donald Dingwall who was banished to Barbados in the year 1745

Contemporary Notables of the name Dingwall (post 1700) +

  • Thuliso Dingwall (b. 1995), American actor, best known for portraying Kenard on the television series The Wire
  • Joe Dingwall (b. 1988), Scottish professional footballer
  • Ernie Dingwall (b. 1898), former Australian rules footballer
  • John Dingwall (1940-2004), Australian journalist, writer and director, best known for his screenplay Sunday Too Far Away (1975)
  • Eric John Dingwall (1890-1986), British anthropologist and psychical researcher
  • William Munro Dingwall (1851-1889), Scottish-born, Canadian general merchant and politician in British Columbia who represented Comox in the Legislative Assembly of British Columbia from 1882 to 1886
  • Shaun Dingwall (b. 1972), British actor, known for his roles in The Young Victoria (2009), Villa des roses (2002) and Assassin's Creed IV: Black Flag (2013)
  • David Charles Dingwall PC (b. 1952), Canadian lawyer and former politician for Cape Breton-East Richmond in Nova Scotia, Opposition House Leader (1991-1993)
  • William Dingwall Fordyce (1836-1875), Scottish Liberal politician, Member of Parliament for Aberdeenshire (1866-1868)

RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Charles Arthur Dingwall, English 1st Class Passenger from London, England, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 8


The Dingwall Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Deo favente
Motto Translation: By the favour of God.


  1. 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)
  2. 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)
  3. 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
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
  5. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  6. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  8. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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