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Dale Family History

Dale Surname Meaning

English: from Middle English dal dale daile ‘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 numerous minor places called with this word such as Dale in Cumbria and Yorkshire.

Norwegian: habitational name from a common farm named from Old Norse dali the dative case of dalr ‘valley’.

Americanized form of German Diehl.

Americanized form of Swedish Norwegian or German Dahl.

Dutch: variant without the preposition van ‘from’ of Van Dale.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022


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Where is the Dale family from?

You can see how Dale families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Dale family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Dale families were found in United Kingdom in 1891. In 1911 there were 664 Dale families living in Ontario. This was about 59% of all the recorded Dale's in Canada. Ontario had the highest population of Dale families in 1911.
Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Dale surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.
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What did your Dale ancestors do for a living?

In 1921, Farmer and Housekeeper were the top reported jobs for men and women in the Canada named Dale. 38% of Dale men worked as a Farmer and 25% of Dale women worked as a Housekeeper. Some less common occupations for Americans named Dale were Carpenter and Teacher.

View Census Data for Dale | Data not to scale

*We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1921

  • Farmer
    38%
  • Labourer
    10%
  • Laborer
    7%
  • Carpenter
    4%

Top Female Occupations In 1921

  • Housekeeper
    25%
  • Stenographer
    10%
  • Bookkeeper
    10%
  • Teacher
    8%

What Dale family records will you find?

Census Records

There are 403,000 census records available for the last name Dale. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Dale census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search Canadian census records for Dale

Passenger Lists

There are 38,000 immigration records available for the last name Dale. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in Canada, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Dale immigration records

Draft Cards

There are 48,000 military records available for the last name Dale. For the veterans among your Dale ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Dale military records

You've only scratched the surface of Dale family history

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What is the average Dale lifespan?

Between 1943 and 2004, in the United States, Dale life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Dale in 1943 was 40, and 73 in 2004.

View Social Security Death Index (SSDI) for Dale

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Dale ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Dale family tree

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