Origin uncertain.
Several sources mention that the name was originally used for American author Dashiell Hammett.
Dashiell is an older given name and probably derives from the French surname “De Chiel”.
Research indicates that the “De Chiel” ancestors were forced to flee France due to the persecutions of the Huguenots, the French Protestants, in the 16th c.
It was in Scotland that the name was changed into Shiell and later Dashiell.
Other sources mention an also French origin of the name, from the French surname “Deschamps”, meaning “from the fields”.
Other forms of the name are Dashiel, Dachiel, Dashel.
Famous bearers are Dashiell Hammett, Dashiell Eaves, Dashiell Raymond “Dash” Mihok, Dashiell Howell, Dashiell “Dash” Snow.