Dalrymple
A Scottish place-based surname from Ayrshire, probably meaning something like “the valley by the pool” or a related landscape feature.
The #5,116 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 45,118 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Dalrymple is a locational surname taken from the lands and barony of Dalrymple in Ayrshire, Scotland. Early writers tried to explain the place-name through Gaelic, Welsh, or a mix of both, and the exact breakdown has long been debated. The safest sense is that it refers to a valley/field beside a pool or river bend, rather than a literal historical event.
History
The surname was borne by the family that later became the earls of Stair, and it is especially associated with southwest Scotland. Historical spellings were quite variable, including forms such as Dalruimpuill and Dalrimpil. The name remained notably Scottish in distribution, with later references noting its use in Renfrewshire and beyond.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
One 19th-century source gives a legendary explanation involving a battle where two kings were slain, but that story is generally treated as fanciful rather than settled history.
From the historical record
“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 Dale-roi-mitteadh, which signifies " the valley of the slaughter of kings," and the place was so called from a battle fought there before the Christian era, in which two…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names