Dale Family History

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.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names ©2013, Oxford University Press