Dingle
A locational surname for someone who lived by, or came from, a small narrow valley or dell.
The #7,717 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 71,785 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Dingle comes from the English word dingle, meaning a narrow valley, hollow, or small wooded dell. Early surname writers treated it as a residence name: someone living “at the dingle” would naturally take the place-based label. The word itself is old English dialectal geography rather than a personal name or occupation.
History
19th-century surname dictionaries record Dingle as an English local surname and gloss it simply as a landscape term. It appears in records from at least the late medieval period, and its spread is consistent with ordinary topographic naming in England. Modern bearers are found in Britain and the United States, with the name remaining relatively uncommon.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
An old surname reference notes that Dingle is essentially the same word as the common English landscape term for a little dell or valley.
From the historical record
“DINE. DINES. See Dyne. DINGLE. "A narrow valley between two hills." Bailey. DINGLEY. A jjarish in Northampton- shire. DINGWALL. A parish and royal burgh in Eoss-shire. DINHAM. A hamlet in Monmouth- shire.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom