The Baby Name Wizard

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Contribute to, or edit, this collection of community wisdom on the name Dashiell!

Comments and insights on the name Dashiell: | Edit

this is my maiden name and we pronounced it (da sheel') growing up...which sounds very nice with my first name, Suzanne. I have always had to spell it for people but that is ok with me. It has a beautiful, lyrical sound. My sister, Sallie, has used it in her profession and to eliminate misspellings, she would pronounce it
Dash eel'. It would help somewhat with the spelling. Overall, it is a beautiful name and I am glad that people are using it as a first name. Dash is a fun nickname, as well.

Personal experiences with the name Dashiell: | Edit

My nephew and his wife, artists and college teachers, named their first child, born in 2008, Dashiell Peter.

Nicknames for Dashiell: | Edit

Dash

Meanings and history of the name Dashiell: | Edit

Dashiell is an Anglicized form of the old French surname de Chiel, which is of unknown meaning. The de Chiels were French Huguenots who moved to Scotland, then England, then Virginia and finally Maryland. The name changed from de Chiel to Da Chiell, to Da Shiell, to Dashiell. The name came into use as a first name because of famous American author Samuel Dashiell Hammett (1894-1961), who published under the name Dashiell Hammett. Dashiel was his mother's surname; her family lived in Maryland.

Famous real-life people named Dashiell: | Edit

Dashiell Hammett was an American author of hardboiled detective novels and short stories. Among the enduring characters he created are Sam Spade (The Maltese Falcon) and Nick and Nora Charles (The Thin Man). In addition to the significant influence his novels and stories had on film, Hammett is now widely regarded as one of the finest mystery writers of all time.
Actress Cate Blanchett's son is named Dashiell

Dashiell in song, story & screen: | Edit

Pixar's "The Incredibles" speedy young superhero Dashiell "Dash" Parr