Recorded as Daleman, Dalman, Dalmon and possibly others, this is an English surname. It is topogrpahical and described one who resided in a "dale" or valley, from the pre 6th century a.d. "dael". It is however surprising that the first known recording (see below) is from East Anglia, a flat region, not normally associated with "valleys" at all. This suggests another possible meaning, the name being a development of "Dealla", an early personal name which is also found in village names such as Dalling in Norfolk, "the tribe (ing) of the Dealla's, or Dallington (Suffolk), "the hamlet (ton) of the Dealla tribe, both being Anglo-Saxon names of the 8th Century. This would suggest that Dal(l)man translates as "the friend "man(n)" of Dealla", as an alternative to "a man from the Dales". The first known spelling as Dal(l)man is from Yorkshire, Robertus Dalman being recorded in the Poll Tax records of that county in 1379 and Alexander Dalmon recorded in Yorkshire in 1377.