Contents [hide]

Dallas History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Suggested Reading Citations

Dallas History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland
Ireland

Etymology of Dallas

What does the name Dallas mean?

The Dallas family saga is rooted in the people of the Pictish Clan of ancient Scotland. The Dallas family lived in a place named Dallas in Moray, near the royal burgh of Forres. The place name Dallas comes from the Gaelic dail or "meadow," and fas or "dwelling." Another source claims "this place takes its name from the two Gaelic words dale, a vale or plain, and uis, contracted from uisge, water." 1

Early Origins of the Dallas family

The surname Dallas was first found in Moray. "The first of the family was Willelmus de Rypeley, an Englishman, who obtained a grant or confirmation of the lands of Dolays Mykel from William the Lion. Archebaldus de Doleys appears as juror on an inquisition on the lands of Mefth in 1262." 2 Sir William de Doleys, knight, was living in 1286; and in 1367 appears John de Dolais, Thane of Cromdale.

Early History of the Dallas family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dallas research. Another 102 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1292, 1600, 1617, 1630, 1702, 1756, 1791, 1824, 1869 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Dallas History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dallas Spelling Variations

Prior to the invention of the printing press in the last hundred years, documents were basically unique. Names were written according to sound, and often appeared differently each time they were recorded. Spelling variations of the name Dallas include Dallas, Doleys, Dolas, Dolles, Dulles, Dallass, Dolays, Dalhouse and many more.

Early Notables of the Dallas family

Notable amongst the Clan at this time was

Sir Robert Dallas, SL, KC (1756-1824) an English judge, Chief Justice of the Common Pleas, the eldest son of Robert Dallas of Cooper's Court, St. Michael's, Cornhill
Alexander Robert Charles Dallas (1791-1869), was a Scottish divine, descended from William Dallas, of Budgate, Nairnshire, in 1617. His father was Robert Charles Dallas
George Dallas (1630-1702?), was a Scottish lawyer, of St. Martin's, Ross-shire, a younger son of William Dallas of Budgate, Nairnshire. 3

Dallas Ranking

In the United States, the name Dallas is the 3,285^th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 4

Migration of the Dallas family to Ireland

Some of the Dallas family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 73 words (5 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dallas migration to the United States +

The freedom of the North American colonies was enticing, and many Scots left to make the great crossing. It was a long and hard journey, but its reward was a place where there was more land than people and tolerance was far easier to come by. Many of these people came together to fight for a new nation in the American War of Independence, while others remained loyal to the old order as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of Scots in North America have recovered much of this heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and other such organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important and early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Dallas:

Dallas Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Peter Dallas, aged 60, who arrived in North Carolina in 1812 5
Alexander Dallas, who arrived in New York, NY in 1815 5
John Dallas, who arrived in New York, NY in 1817 5
Margaret Dallas, aged 17, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1820-1873 5
Duncan Dallas, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1842 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dallas migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dallas Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

William Dallas, a blacksmith, who arrived in New South Wales, Australia sometime between 1825 and 1832
Mr. Hector Dallas, English convict who was convicted in Northampton, Northamptonshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Canton" on 20th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6

Dallas migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Dallas Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. William Dallas, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 7
Mrs. Mary Dallas, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Jura" arriving in Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 23rd September 1858 7
Mr. John Dallas, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 8
Mrs. Dallas, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 8
Miss Jane Dallas, Scottish settler travelling from Glasgow aboard the ship "Storm Cloud" arriving in Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 30th July 1861 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dallas migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 9

Dallas Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century

Alexander Dallas who settled in Jamaica in 1775

Contemporary Notables of the name Dallas (post 1700) +

George Mifflin Dallas (1792-1864), American politician, U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania (1831-1833), 11th Vice President of the United States (1845-1849)
Joshua Paul Dallas (b. 1978), American actor, best known for his roles in Once Upon a Time (2011–2018) and starring as Ben Stone in the NBC drama series Manifest (2018-2021)
Sandra Dallas, award-winning American author of 13 adult novels, 2 children's novels, and 7 non-fiction books
Captain Alexander James Dallas (b. 1791), American officer in the United States Navy
Alexander James Dallas (1759-1817), American statesman, 6th United States Secretary of the Treasury (1814-1816), 1st United States Supreme Court Reporter of Decisions (1790-1800)
DeVan "Van" Dallas (1926-2016), American politician, Member of the Mississippi House of Representatives (1964-1976)
Matthew Joseph "Matt" Dallas (b. 1982), American film and television actor
John Dewar Dallas (1878-1942), Scottish international rugby union forward
Eneas Sweetland Dallas (1828-1879), Scottish journalist and author
Hugh Dallas (b. 1957), Scottish former football referee
... (Another 9 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Dallas Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: Semper paratus
Motto Translation: Always prepared.

Citations +

Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 17th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canton
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies