This interesting and unusual surname of English Origin derives from the French Theobald, of the common medieval given name Tebald, Tibalt (Old French Trobaud, Tibaut), from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements "teudo" meaning "people" or "race" plus "bald" "bold" or "brave". Variations in the idiom of the spelling include Tudbald, Tidball, Tippell, Dybald, Dyball, Diboll, Dybell, Dibble, Dyble, etc. The surname date's back to the mid 16th Century, (see below). Further recordings include one Richard, son of Richard Dyball, who was christened at St. Katherine by the Tower, London on August 6th 1637, and Elizabeth, daughter of Peter and Rebeccah Debille, was christened at St. Swithin, London-Stone on July 27th 1687. Richard Dyball married Sarah Arnold at Edmonton, London on September 27th 1796. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Mighell Diabells married Margaret Shadforde, which was dated 1555, in St. Margaret, Westminster, during the reign of Queen Mary, known as "Bloody Mary", 1553 - 1558. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.