Show ContentsDixey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Dixey family name is linked to the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. Their name comes from the German derivative of Dix where it was the short form for Benedikt.

Early Origins of the Dixey family

The surname Dixey was first found in Leicestershire where they were recorded as a family of great antiquity seated at Ellandune (now called Wilton.) [1]

Early rolls list: Robert Dysci in the Feet of Fines of Huntingdonshire; and Alice Dixi in the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379. [2]

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273-1279 list the following entries in Cambridgeshire; Laurence Dixi; Sabina Dixi; and Adam Disce. The same rolls also list Hugo Discey and Robert Discy in Huntingdonshire. The Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls also list Robert Discy. [3]

Early History of the Dixey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dixey research. Another 82 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1200, 1524, 1585, 1594, 1614, 1625, 1660 and 1798 are included under the topic Early Dixey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dixey Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Dixey include Dixie, Dicksey, Dicksy, Dixy and others.

Early Notables of the Dixey family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Sir Wolstan Dixie, (1524-1594), merchant and administrator, Lord Mayor of London in 1585. He was the son of Thomas Dixie and Anne Jephson, who lived at Catworth in Huntingdonshire. His ancestors had been seated at Catworth for several generations, and had considerable estates. Wolstan, however, was the...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dixey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Dixey migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Dixey were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Dixey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • William Dixey, who arrived in New England in 1629 [4]
  • Thomas Dixey, who landed in Salem, Massachusetts in 1637 [4]
  • John Dixey, who arrived in Salem, Massachusetts in 1639 [4]
Dixey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Richard Dixey, who settled in Maryland in 1725
Dixey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Joseph Dixey, who settled in Boston in 1820
  • H C Dixey, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 [4]
Dixey Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • C J Dixey, who arrived in Arkansas in 1900 [4]

Australia Dixey migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dixey Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. James Dixey, English convict who was convicted in Middlesex, England for life, transported aboard the "David Lyon" on 29th April 1830, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1834 [5]
  • Ellen Dixey, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Brothers" in 1850 [6]
  • William Dixey, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Brothers" in 1850 [6]

West Indies Dixey migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [7]
Dixey Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • William Dixey who settled in Barbados in 1693

Contemporary Notables of the name Dixey (post 1700) +

  • Mary Dixey, American former rugby union player, member of the United States squad that won the inaugural 1991 Women's Rugby World Cup defeating England
  • Henry E. Dixey (1859-1943), born Henry E. Dixon, an American actor and theatre producer, born on January 6, 1859, in Boston, Massachusetts
  • Richard Dixey (b. 1956), English former professional footballer who played as a central defender
  • Paul Garrod Dixey (b. 1987), former English professional cricketer from Canterbury, Kent who played County Cricket as a right-handed batsman and wicket-keeper (2005-2012)
  • Phyllis Dixey (1914-1964), English singer, actress, dancer and impresario, first as a singer in variety shows in Britain and later during World War II, she joined ENSA and entertained the British forces.
  • Charles Neville Douglas Dixey (1881-1947), known as Neville Dixey, British Liberal Party politician, Chairman of Lloyd's of London three times, eponym of Mount Dixey, Antarctica
  • Arthur Carlyne Niven Dixey (1889-1954), British politician, Member of Parliament for Penrith and Cockermouth (1923–1935)
  • Frederick Augustus Dixey (1855-1935), British former president of the Royal Entomological Society of London


The Dixey 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: Quod Dixi Dixi
Motto Translation: What I have said, I have said.


  1. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  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)
  4. 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)
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 3rd June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-lyon
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) BROTHERS 1850. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1850Brothers.htm
  7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies


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