DIX
Dix is a surname that originates in the British Isles and chiefly derives from England. It can be traced to the Old English word dic, meaning a ditch or dike, and was often used as a topographic name for someone dwelling near such a feature. In other instances the name may have been a locational identifier for a person from a place called Dix or Dicks, or it may have arisen as a nickname for a person deemed to be a “dick”, a colloquial term for a fat person or a fat sheep. The precise meaning of the surname depends on the specific circumstances of each family line.
From the early medieval period it also developed as a patronymic form of the personal name Richard. The diminutive Dick was widespread in England before the Norman Conquest of 1066, and the surname Dix appeared in recorded documents as early as the early 14th century. Examples include Willem Dik (1220) and Dik de Hyde (1286). Other early attestations are William Dik of London (1356) and Thomas Dykkes, Rector of Bodney in Norfolk (1421). Variants such as Dicks, Dickson and Dixon also stem from this line of derivation. The name was carried to New England by Samuell Dix of Norwich in 1637 aboard the Dorothey, with his wife Joane and children Presella and Abegell.
In the French context the surname Dix derives from the word dix meaning “ten”. It could have been applied to a tenth child, to someone living at the tenth milestone on a road, or to an individual whose occupation involved the number ten. The earliest recorded instance in England is the entry for Willelmus Dix in the Subsidy Tax rolls of Sussex in 1296. The French form yields variants such as Dics, Dics, and other spellings that evolved from the original term.
Additional Germanic connections exist, where Dix may have emerged as a nickname for a dexterous or right‑handed person. In contemporary times the surname is uncommon but is most frequently found in the United States, with significant concentrations in England and Australia. Occasional bearers appear in France and Germany, reflecting the diverse linguistic and cultural origins of the name. All variants, whether Dixon, Dycks, or Dixon, share a common root in the medieval practices of surname formation and the linguistic evolution of personal names across the British Isles, Continental Europe and beyond.
Typical given names associated with the Dix surname
Male
- Alan
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- John
- Matthew
- Michael
- Paul
- Richard
- Robert
- Simon
- Stephen
Female
- Ann
- Elizabeth
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Julie
- Karen
- Margaret
- Michelle
- Rebecca
- Sarah
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Dix in...
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There are approximately 5,425 people named Dix in the UK. That makes it roughly the 1,748th most common surname in Britain. Around 83 in a million people in Britain are named Dix.
Surname type: From name of parent
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Dix
- Sophie Dix - Actress
- Gregory Dix - Benedictine monk (1901 to 1952)
- William Chatterton Dix - Writer of hymns and carols (1837 to 1898)
- Ronnie Dix - Football player (1912 to 1998)
- Joan Dix - Sportsperson (1918 to 1991)
- Emily Dix - Paleobotanist (1904 to 1972)
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.