Find out how popular the last name Dail is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dail.

Dail, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dail surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dail in America

Dail is the 8946th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dail surname appeared 3,659 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Dail.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dail to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dail

The surname DAIL is of English origin, tracing its roots back to the Middle Ages. It likely emerged as a locational name, derived from a place name such as Dale or Dail, referring to a valley or dell.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de Dail," indicating an individual hailed from a place called Dail. This locational prefix "de" was commonly used in Norman England to denote one's place of origin.

Throughout the medieval period, the name DAIL appeared in various spellings, including Dayle, Daille, and Deyle, reflecting the fluid nature of spelling practices at the time. Some of these variations may have been influenced by French or Norman pronunciations.

In the 13th century, a notable figure bearing the name was Sir William Dail, a knight who fought in the Crusades and participated in the siege of Acre in 1191. His name is recorded in chronicles detailing the campaigns of King Richard I (the Lionheart).

During the Tudor era, one John Dail (1470-1538) was a prominent merchant and alderman in the city of London. He was known for his philanthropic efforts, including the establishment of a charity school in his hometown of Stratford-upon-Avon.

Another individual of note was Elizabeth Dail (1594-1672), a Puritan writer and poet who authored several religious works, including "The Spiritual Voyage" and "Meditations on the Lord's Prayer."

In the 18th century, Samuel Dail (1718-1789) was a renowned architect who designed several churches and public buildings in London, including St. George's Church in Bloomsbury and the Old Bailey courthouse.

During the Victorian era, Charles Dail (1829-1901) was a famous explorer and naturalist who traveled extensively in Africa and wrote several books detailing his expeditions and discoveries of new plant and animal species.

While the surname DAIL may have originated from a specific place name, its meaning evolved to encompass a broader association with valleys or dells, reflecting the rural roots of many English surnames.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dail

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dail.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dail was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dail has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dail was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dail, please contact us.

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