Dicke History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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The background history of the name Dicke starts in ancient Scotland among the Pictish people. The name Dicke is derived from the given name Richard. 1 Dick is a diminutive of this personal name.

One source explains the origin more clearly: "In Scotland it has been variously written at different periods, as Dicson, Dykson, Dikson, Diksoun, Diksoune, Dixson, and Dickson. They are descended from one Richard Keith, said to be a son of the family of Keith, earls-marshal of Scotland, and in proof thereof they carry in their arms the chief of Keith Mareschal. This Richard was commonly called Dick, and his sons, with the carelessness of that age, were styled 'Dickson.' It is probable that he was the son of the great Marshal, Hervey de Keth, (ob. 1249,) by his wife Margaret, daughter of William, third lord Douglas." 2

Early Origins of the Dicke family

The surname Dicke was first found in Edinburghshire, a former county, now part of the Midlothian council area where William de Dyck was first magistrate of Edinburgh in 1296. John Dic, was a witness in Ayr, 1490, Wille Dic was 'dekin of the bakstaris' of Stirling in 1526. John Dyk or Dik was bailie of David, Earl of Craufurd in Perthshire in 1547 and Alexander Dik was archdean of Glasgow in 1555. 3

Some of the family were found in Northern England in later years. Yorkshire records for 1563 listed: William Dycks; and William Dix. 4 In Norfolk, Thomas Dykkes, was rector of Bodney, Norfolk in 1431, and William Dykk was rector of Godwick in 1420. 5

Early History of the Dicke family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dicke research. Another 129 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1296, 1526, 1580, 1618, 1631, 1638, 1639, 1655, 1658, 1678, 1681, 1703, 1725, 1728, 1741, 1785 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Dicke History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dicke Spelling Variations

Prior to the invention of the printing press in the last hundred years, documents were basically unique. Names were written according to sound, and often appeared differently each time they were recorded. Spelling variations of the name Dicke include Dick, Dyck, Dic and others.

Early Notables of the Dicke family

Notable amongst the family at this time was Sir William Dick (1580?-1655), Provost of Edinburgh, the only son of John Dick, who held a large proprietor in the Orkneys, and who had acquired considerable wealth by trading with Denmark, and was a favourite of James VI. "In 1618 he advanced 6,000l. to defray the household expenses of James VI when he held a parliament in Scotland in 1618. Through his influence with the government he greatly increased his wealth by farming the customs and excise; he extended the trade of the Firth of Forth with the Baltic and Mediterranean ports, and...
Another 312 words (22 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dicke Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dicke family to Ireland

Some of the Dicke family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dicke migration to the United States +

The freedom of the North American colonies was enticing, and many Scots left to make the great crossing. It was a long and hard journey, but its reward was a place where there was more land than people and tolerance was far easier to come by. Many of these people came together to fight for a new nation in the American War of Independence, while others remained loyal to the old order as United Empire Loyalists. The ancestors of Scots in North America have recovered much of this heritage in the 20th century through Clan societies and other such organizations. A search of immigration and passenger lists revealed many important and early immigrants to North America bearing the name of Dicke:

Dicke Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

James Dicke, who arrived in Virginia in 1651 6
John Dicke, who landed in Virginia in 1663 6

Dicke Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Henrich Dicke, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1771 6
Hermanus Dicke, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1771 6
Henrich Dicke, who settled in America sometime between 1775 and 1781

Contemporary Notables of the name Dicke (post 1700) +

James F. II Dicke, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Ohio, 2008 7
Henry C. Dicke, American politician, Village President of Downers Grove, Illinois, 1935-38 7
James F. Dicke, American philanthropist Ohio, eponym of the James F. Dicke College of Business Administration
Robert Henry Dicke (1916-1997), American physicist, eponym of the DIcke effect and co-eponym of the Brans–Dicke theory
Willem Karel Dicke (1905-1962), Dutch pediatrician who was the first to develop the gluten-free diet

The Dicke Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: At spes infracta
Motto Translation: Yet my hope is unbroken.

Citations +

Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, January 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html