Surname Dales - Meaning and Origin
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Dales: What does the surname Dales mean?
The last name Dales is of Anglo-Saxon origin, referring to a dale, or valley. It is thought to have first appeared in England after the Norman Conquest of 1066. The surname is quite widespread throughout Britain and is still common in the northern counties of England. It is also found in Scotland and Wales.
The generality of the name Dales means there is no definitive link to any particular place and no one genealogical line can be specifically associated with it. However it is believed to have derived from the Middle English word 'daele', meaning a narrow valley formed by a small river. This origin could suggest that those bearing the name in the Middle ages may have lived in these areas.
The name may also refer to a particular valley, such as the Wensleydale of Yorkshire. The River Ure rises here and is dammed to form Semerwater, a lake that provides a water supply to the area. Descendants of the family who were granted lordship of Wensleydale in 1086, known as the 'Dales' or 'Dallis', are thought to bear the Dales name. These connections provide further clues to the meaning of this surname.
Overall, the last name Dales is commonly found throughout Britain and has multiple derivations - from both residential links to a particular area such as Wensleydale, and references to valleys in general.
Order DNA origin analysisDales: Where does the name Dales come from?
The last name Dales is primarily found in the United Kingdom and its colonies. It is a surname of English origin, and is derived from the Old English dael, meaning “valley”. The surname was commonly used to denote people who lived in or near a valley. Records of the surname go back as far as the 13th century, when the earliest recordings of the name are found in Yorkshire, England.
In the United Kingdom, the surname is most commonly found in Devon, Durham, Yorkshire and Northumberland. In Australia and New Zealand, many people with the surname Dales settled from the late 19th century onwards. In the United States, the surname is most frequently found in the states of Maryland, Pennsylvania and New York.
The modern day Dales are a diverse group, and come from a variety of backgrounds. They range from professional cricket players to botanists, authors and actors. They can also be found in politics, where several prominent members of the Dales family have served their country, and can be seen in television, where many long-running Dales-named programs have aired.
Today, the Dales surname can be found throughout the world. They are a family whose heritage and roots remain deeply rooted in the United Kingdom and its colonial past, and are a symbol of the rich history of the nation.
Variations of the surname Dales
The surname Dales is of English origin, derived from one of the many places named Dales or Dale in England. It is believed to be derived from the Old English word dael, meaning 'valley'. This surname has a few variants and spellings, all with the same meaning and origin.
Variants and Spellings:
• Dail
• Dayle
• Dalesman
• Deale
• Dalles
• Daile
• Deel
• Dall
• Deales
• Daill
Surnames of the same origin:
• Dalby
• Dalo
• Dallman
• Dalefield
• Daley
• Dalet
• Deling
• Dalby
• Dalmacio
• Delange
• Dalgleish
• Dalhuisen
• Dalison
• Dalling
• Dalgarno
• Delisle
• Dallimore
• Dalrymple
• Dallamore
• Dalcourt
• Daland
• Dallen
• Dalven
• Dalston
• Dalwood
• Dallesandro
• Dalzell
• Dalmasso
The same origin surnames are formed from different geographical locations and tribes which had associations with these places, in many cases having moved into the area at a later date. The names can also be adapted depending on language, for example, 'Dales' in English is 'Dalen' in Dutch.
Famous people with the name Dales
- Paul Dales: an English former amateur footballer
- Greg Dales: a Canadian retired soccer player who played in the 1994 FIFA World Cup
- Roy Dales: a British professional rugby league footballer
- Richard Dales: an English chess player
- Christopher Dales: an American multimedia journalist
- Peter Dales: an American film and television editor
- Ann Dales: an American poet
- Daisy Dales: an American trap shooter
- Geordie Dales: a Canadian professional ice hockey player
- Aaron Dales: an American entrepreneur and investor