Dingalan, formerly just a barrio, was created a municipal district within the municipality of Baler in 1956. It was declared a town in 1962.
Early settlers recounted that Dumagat tribes inhabited the territory now known as Dingalan. The names of most landmarks and places in this municipality were said to have been given by the aborigines. It is believed that the name ― Dingalan is a Dumagat word which means by the River of Galan because the territory straddles fifteen (1 Más
