Dailey
A common spelling variant of the Irish surname Daly, sometimes also influenced by the English word “daily.”
The #1,072 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 9,436 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Dailey is generally treated as a variant spelling of Daly, the well-known Irish surname. In many cases it reflects the Irish name Ó Dálaigh, traditionally explained as meaning “descendant of Dálach,” with the personal name Dálach linked to the idea of an assembly or meeting. Some 19th-century writers also noted that the spelling could be reinforced by the English word “daily,” especially where the name was already being anglicized.
History
The name is especially associated with Irish migration and the many Anglicized forms that developed from Daly and Ó Dálaigh. Historical surname writers often listed Dailey alongside Daly as a spelling variant rather than a separate family name. In English-speaking countries, both forms became established in records and censuses, with Dailey remaining more common in the United States than in Britain.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century surname scholar explicitly called Daily and Dailey variants of the “great Irish surname” Daly, showing how fluid spelling could be in record-keeping.
From the historical record
“London, i. Daily, Dailey.— Variants of the great Irish surname Daly. Of course Daily is imitative. 1805. Married— John Tunnacliff and Harriot Daily : St. Cieo. Han. Sq. ii. 322.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)