Daley
An Irish surname that is usually explained as meaning “blind” or “descendant of the blind man,” though some later sources also link it to a Gaelic descriptive byname.
The #1,427 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 12,399 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Daley is generally treated as an Anglicized Irish form of a Gaelic name based on dalach or a related word meaning “blind” or “a blind fellow.” In that older explanation, it would mean “descendant of a blind man” rather than referring to the modern English word “daily” or to a place-name. Some 19th-century writers also suggested a separate Gaelic descriptive sense connected with words meaning “councillor” or “plain,” but the “blind” derivation is the most commonly repeated in these excerpts.
History
Daley is found in Irish surname traditions and appears in older genealogical and dictionary works as an anglicized form of an Irish Gaelic name. It also occurs in Manx and Scottish contexts in historical lists, which may reflect broader Gaelic use and migration across the Irish Sea. In modern English-speaking countries, Daley is especially common in Ireland, the United States, and countries shaped by Irish emigration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
A 19th-century etymological writer grouped Daley with surnames explained as coming from nicknames rather than places, a reminder that many Irish surnames began as personal descriptions before becoming family names.
From the historical record
“DALLAS. (Welsh.) From DeaUus, knowing, skillful DALEY. (Gaelic.) Local A parish in Ayrshire, Scotland; derived from Dal, a valley, and righ, a king — the valley of the king. DALRYMPLE. Local Taken from the lands and barony of Dalrymple, in Ayrshire, Scotland. The name is said to be a corruption of the Gaelic…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian NamesNotable people named Daley
- Tom Daley (b. 1994)
Sourced from Wikidata; linked to their Wikipedia page.