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

Dales, 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 Dales surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dales in America

Dales is the 20687th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dales surname appeared 1,279 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 0 people would have the surname Dales.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dales 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 Dales

The surname Dales is believed to have originated in England, likely during the medieval period. It is thought to be a locational name, derived from the Old English word "dæl," meaning "valley" or "dale." This suggests that the name was initially given to people who resided in or near a valley or dale.

One of the earliest recorded instances of the name can be found in the Domesday Book of 1086, where it appears as "de la Dale." This spelling variation indicates that the name was initially a descriptive phrase referring to someone's place of residence or origin.

Throughout the Middle Ages, the name Dales appeared in various records and documents across different regions of England. For instance, in the 13th century, a Robert de Dales was mentioned in the Feet of Fines for Yorkshire. Additionally, the Subsidy Rolls of Worcestershire from 1327 listed a John atte Dale.

As time passed, the name evolved and took on different spellings, such as Dale, Dales, and Deale. This was a common occurrence during the medieval period when spelling standards were not yet established, and names were often recorded phonetically.

Some notable individuals who bore the surname Dales throughout history include:

1. Sir William Dales (c. 1570-1639), an English merchant and politician who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1636.
2. John Dales (1604-1669), an English clergyman and theologian known for his work "The Doctrine of the Perseverance of Saints."
3. Samuel Dales (1615-1675), an English nonconformist minister and author of several religious works.
4. Richard Dales (1638-1720), an English clergyman and author who served as the Dean of Rochester Cathedral.
5. John Dales (1793-1872), an English farmer and landowner from Yorkshire, known for his philanthropic endeavors.

The name Dales was also associated with various place names throughout England, such as Dale Abbey in Derbyshire and Dalegarth in Cumbria, further reinforcing its connection to valleys and dales.

While the surname Dales may have evolved over the centuries, its origins can be traced back to the Old English word "dæl," reflecting the close relationship between surnames and the geographic locations or features associated with their bearers.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dales

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

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 Dales 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 Dales 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 Dales was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

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

Reference this page

We spend a lot of resources downloading, cleaning, merging, and formatting the data that is shown on the site.

If you found the data or information on this page useful in your research, please use the tool below to properly cite or reference Name Census as the source. We appreciate your support!