Origins of the Dale surname

What does the name Dale mean?

Dale is an English surname, being found in records from as early as the 1200s. It is a toponymical name and refers to those who lived in or near a dale or valley. This comes from the Old English 'dael', with the same meaning.

Alternative variations of the name Dale

Dale, Dail, Daill, Daile, Dayle

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Delve deeper into the Dale family's history

OrkneyShetlandHighlandsWestern IslesGrampianTaysideCentralStrathclydeFifeLothianBordersDumfriesNorth East 630North West 1440Isle of Man 29Yorkshire 1528East Midlands 383West Midlands 2097East 591London 1964South East 971South West 246South Wales 63Mid Wales 4West WalesNorth Wales 32Republic of IrelandNorthern Ireland

In 1921, most Dales lived in west-midlands

Census records trace your ancestors through each generation, so you can follow where your relatives lived through each decade.

18,000 Dale Travel & migration records
130,000 Dales found in all Census records

Interesting facts about Dale

How common is your surname?

289th most common surname in the UK

We have for the Dale surname. The oldest one dates back to 1086.

Who were Dales most likely to marry?

Our tell us which families married Dales.

What are the most common Dale first names?

John

William

Mary

Elizabeth

Our tell us the names of Dale family members
Man with milk churns and census card collage
Census records provide incredible detail on names, ages, marital statuses, occupations and more.

Common jobs for Dales

Men and women often performed different types of jobs, so these are displayed by gender to maintain their historical accuracy.

Common female occupations for Dales in 1921

Dressmaker

559

Domestic Servant

361

General Servant Domestic

332

Laundress

300

General Servant

255

Common male occupations for Dales in 1921

Farmer

658

Agricultural Labourer

625

Coal Miner

449

General Labourer

419

Farm Labourer

398

We found over 340,000 family trees with the Dale surname

Trace your family back in time and see what other Findmypast family historians in our genealogy community have discovered about the Dales.

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