Dice History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland

Early Origins of the Dice family

The surname Dice was first found in Norfolk, at Diss, a market-town and parish, in the union of Depwade, hundred of Diss. 1 2

"Formerly, Disce or Dice, was held in royal demesne in the reign of Henry I., and in that of Edward I. became the property of Robert Fitzwalter, who obtained for it the privilege of a market." 3

The "History of Norfolk" has three early records for the family: William de Diss, rector of Denton, Norfolk in 1317; Richard de Dysse, rector of Chatgrave in 1350; and Thomas Dysse, vicar of Necton, Norfolk in 1546. 4

But the earliest record of the family was found in Essex, where the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list William de Disse, as holding lands there at that time. 5 Richard Dyse held estates in Suffolk in 1327. 6

The parish dates back to at least the Domesday Book of 1086 when it was first listed as Dice and at that time and for years later, it was part of Suffolk. Literally the place name means "place at the ditch or dike," from the Anglo-Saxon word "dic." 7

Walter Diss or Dysse (d. 1404?), was a "Carmelite and is supposed to have been a native of the town of Diss, twenty-two miles south-west of Norwich, and to have been educated in the Carmelite house of the latter city." 8

Further to the north in Scotland, the name was derived from "an old burgess family of Aberdeenshire who derived their name from the lands of Dyce in the parish of the same name. The first of the name recorded appears to have been John de Diss who was admitted burgess of Aberdeen in 1467. " 9

Early History of the Dice family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dice research. Another 92 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1473, 1482 and 1663 are included under the topic Early Dice History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dice Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dicer, Dyser, Dice, Dyse, Dyce, Dycer and others.

Early Notables of the Dice family

More information is included under the topic Early Dice Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dice Ranking

In the United States, the name Dice is the 16,194^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 10

Dice migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dice Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Geo Dice, who landed in Virginia in 1657 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Dice (post 1700) +

Mark Dice, American author, media analyst, and political activist
S. C. Dice, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from West Virginia, 1904 12
Max Dice, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 1960 12
John Dice, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Greenbrier County, 1911-14 12
Jane Dice, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from West Virginia, 1924 (alternate), 1932; Member of West Virginia State Senate 11th District, 1939-40; Appointed 1939 12
Tom Dice (b. 1989), Belgian singer-songwriter
Dice Harper, American politician, Member of West Virginia State House of Delegates from Randolph County, 1933 13

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.
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. 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)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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 2015, December 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html