Dale

Girl name variations

Boy name variations

Family name origins & meanings

• English : from Middle English dale ‘dale’, ‘valley’ (Old English dæl, reinforced in northern England by the cognate Old Norse dalr), a topographic name for someone who lived in a valley, or a habitational name from any of the numerous minor places named with this word, such as Dale in Cumbria and Yorkshire.
• Irish : possibly in some cases of English origin, but otherwise an Anglicized form of Gaelic Dall, a byname meaning ‘blind’.
• Norwegian : habitational name from a farm named from Old Norse dali, the dative case of dalr ‘valley’. It is a common name in Norway, especially western Norway, and is also found in Sweden.
• Americanized spelling of German Dahl.
• With a reputation as a disciplinarian, the soldier and colonizer Sir Thomas Dale (d. 1619), was appointed marshal of VA and arrived in 1611 at Point Comfort with the Starr, Prosperous, and Elizabeth, carrying settlers, stores, and livestock. First enlisted in the service of the Netherlands, he later served Prince Henry in Scotland and was knighted as Sir Thomas Dale of Surrey.