Dalles

Dalles – Surname History and Family

The meaning of Dalles is unclear, but several theories have been suggested. It is also possible that the name is related to Danish, Dutch, and Swedish dialect words, which all mean “slope.

Popularity and Meaning

The name is not common throughout Scandinavia, and the old Dales district in eastern Scotland has probably no connection with the name Dalles. The popularity of Dalles then increased in Britain with the arrival of Scandinavian immigrants in the 10th century

Therefore the popularity of Dalles could be due to mis-spelling, or it could mean “valley of the deer”. Another theory is that the valley was initially called Dall’s (derived from ‘Dall’) because it was believed that it meant ‘deer valley’ in Danish. This would make The Dalles an ancient Germanic language name for the area.

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Dalles has a few meanings, one of those being 'valley of the deer'
Dalles has a few meanings, one of those being ‘valley of the deer’

Some have suggested that The Dalles originally meant ‘valley of twisted rocks’ and that this was derived from the name of a local family, de la Roussel. The purpose of Dalles originated in Yorkshire, England. The name’s original spelling was Danish, although it is unclear how the word was pronounced in its original language. The popularity of Dalles was at its highest in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. After this, the popularity decreased

Useful Resources

Discover the meaning and popularity of other Scottish girls’ names.