2000
#8,891
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,386
First available Census row
Per 100,000 1.26
Rare Last name
Dail
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Dálaigh, meaning "descendant of Dálach," a personal name meaning "assembly."
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 3,686 Americans carry the last name Dail. That puts it at #9,654 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 92,988 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Dail surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
3.7K
1 in 92,988
Census rank
#9,654
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.1
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
3.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 3,214 bearers of the surname Dail in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 9654th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Dail, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of 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.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Dail
Among Census respondents with the surname Dail, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Dail bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Dail surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White83.0% · 2,669
- Black or African American8.6% · 277
- Two or more races3.9% · 125
- Hispanic or Latino2.4% · 77
- Asian and Pacific Islander1.6% · 51
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.5% · 15
Timeline
Historical Census data for Dail
Dail appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#8,946
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,659
+273 bearers (+8.1%)
Per 100,000 1.24
Rank movement Down 55 places
2020
#9,654
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 3,214
-445 bearers (-12.2%)
Per 100,000 1.08
Rank movement Down 708 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #8,891 | 3,386 | 1.26 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #8,946 | 3,659 | 1.24 | +273 bearers (+8.1%) | Down 55 places |
| 2020 | #9,654 | 3,214 | 1.08 | -445 bearers (-12.2%) | Down 708 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Dail surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #8,946 | #9,654 | -7.9% |
| Count | 3,659 | 3,214 | -12.2% |
| Per 100K | 1.24 | 1.08 | -13.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Dail bearers went from 3,659 to 3,214 (-12.2% change). The surname moved down 708 positions in the national ranking, going from #8,946 to #9,654.
Notable bearers
Famous people with the surname Dail
FAQ
Dail surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Dail?
Name Census estimates that about 3,686 living Americans carry the surname Dail. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 92,988 residents.
How common is Dail?
Dail ranks #9,654 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.08 per 100,000 residents, which is about 1 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 3,214 people with the surname Dail. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (3,686), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.08 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.08 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 1 of them to have the surname Dail.
Has Dail become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Dail went from 3,659 recorded bearers to 3,214. That is a decrease of 445 (-12.2%). In the national ranking it fell from #8,946 to #9,654.
What does the Census say about the background of Dail?
Among Census respondents with the surname Dail, the largest self-reported group is White at 83.0%. The next largest groups are Black (8.6%) and Two or More Races (3.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Dail in the 2020 Census, accounting for 83.0% (2,669 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Dail appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (83.0%), Black (8.6%), Two or More Races (3.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Dail (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Dail mean?
Anglicized form of the Irish surname Ó Dálaigh, meaning "descendant of Dálach," a personal name meaning "assembly." The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Dail (1.08 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people share the surname Dail?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.