Dawley Last Name: Meaning and Heraldic Roots

If your family name is Dawley, its origin lies with Daly, a long-established Irish surname. Dawley is listed among the recognised spellings of Daly. The name is usually explained as “Descendant of Dálach, linked to "assembly”. Spellings drifted because names were written down by ear in parish books, tax rolls and passenger lists.

Other spellings include O'Daly, Daley and Ó Dálaigh.

Arms linked to Daly and its spellings were granted to individual families; our heraldry team traces which line they belonged to. Want more than a summary? See the Dawley family name pack.