Contents [hide]

Dickey History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

Ireland United States Canada New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Dickey History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Scotland
Ireland

The name Dickey reached English shores for the first time with the ancestors of the Dickey family as they migrated following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name Dickey is based on the Norman baptismal name which means the son of Diccon, which is a diminution of the parent name, Richard. 1

Baptismal names began to appear as surnames relatively late in the growth of the naming tradition. This is a little surprising, given the popularity of biblical figures in the Christian countries of Europe. Nevertheless, surnames derived from baptismal names grew in popularity during the Middle Ages, and have become one of the foremost sources for surnames. Most of the early appearances of the name were found in the French form Dicon, which lingered until the 16th century.

Early Origins of the Dickey family

The surname Dickey was first found in Staffordshire where one of the first listings of the name was Richard Dicum who listed in the Assize Rolls there in 1203. The Subsidy Rolls of Staffordshire list John Dycon in 1327. 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 lists: Richard Digon in London; Roger Digun; and Alice Dikun while the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 lists: Alicia Dycon, mayden; Ricardus Dicon; and Willwlmus Diconson. 1

The reader should pay special attention to the term "mayden" in the last entry as while the modern spelling is obviously "maiden," we must realize that as it was noted in the rolls, Alicia Dycon was a woman who held lands and was a person of distinction; a feat rarely seen in the 13th century! Today most of the spellings of the surname are usually seen appended with "s."

Early History of the Dickey family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dickey research. Another 83 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1150, 1770, 1787, 1793, 1812, 1816, 1870 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Dickey History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dickey Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Dickey are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Dickey include Dickens, Dickins, Diggons, Diggens, Diggins, Dikens, Digons, Diquon and many more.

Early Notables of the Dickey family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Charles John Huffam Dickens (1812-1870), popular English novelist, buried in Westminster Abbey. Mrs Dickons, daughter of a gentleman named Poole, was born in London about 1770. Her musical talent was early developed. She became a pupil of Rauzzini, and in 1787 appeared at Vauxhall Gardens as a singer. Her progress was rapid, and she became engaged at the Concert of Ancient Music and other concerts. On Oct...
Another 74 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dickey Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dickey Ranking

In the United States, the name Dickey is the 1,246^th most popular surname with an estimated 24,870 people with that name. 3

Migration of the Dickey family to Ireland

Some of the Dickey family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 58 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dickey migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Dickey, or a variant listed above:

Dickey Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

In 1650 Daniel Dickey, who settled in Virginia in 1650
DanII Dickey, who landed in Virginia in 1650 4

Dickey Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Alexander Dickey, who arrived in South Carolina in 1772 4
Jane Dickey, who landed in South Carolina in 1772 4
Arthur Dickey, who landed in America in 1795 4

Dickey Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Isaac Dickey, aged 20, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1804 4
John Dickey, who arrived in America in 1805 4
Nathaniel Dickey, who arrived in America in 1811 4
James Dickey, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1811 4
Adam Dickey, aged 35, who landed in New York in 1812 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dickey migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dickey Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

John Dickey, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1750
Mr. Adam Dickey U.E. who settled in Charlotee County, New Brunswick c. 1783 member of the Cape Ann Association 5

Dickey Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Abraham Dickey, who arrived in Canada in 1816
William Dickey, who landed in Canada in 1828
Marjorie Dickey, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Robert Burns" in 1834
Theron Dickey, who arrived in Canada in 1840

Dickey migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Dickey Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Dickey, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Annie Wilson" in 1863
Samuel Dickey, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Annie Wilson" in 1863
Samuel Dickey, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Empress" in 1865
Nancy Dickey, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Empress" in 1865
Jane Dickey, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Empress" in 1865
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Dickey (post 1700) +

Robert Barry Dickey (1811-1903), Canadian politician, one of the Fathers of Confederation, Senator for Amherst, Nova Scotia (1867-1903), son of Robert McGowan Dickey
Eric Jerome Dickey (1961-2021), American New York Times best-selling author who wrote several crime novels involving grifters, ex cons, and assassins
Christopher Swift Dickey (1951-2020), American journalist, author, and news editor
James "Jim" Dickey (1934-2018), American football player and head football coach at Kansas State University from 1978 to 1985
Jay Woodson Dickey Jr. (1939-2017), American politician, Member of the U.S. House of Representatives from Arkansas (1993-2001)
William K. Dickey, American Republican politician, Candidate for New Jersey State House of Assembly 6th District, 1975 6
William D. Dickey, American politician, Delegate to New York State Constitutional Convention 16th District, 1894; Justice of New York Supreme Court 2nd District, 1897-1907 6
William Dickey, American politician, Postmaster at Paterson, New Jersey, 1849-53 6
William B. Dickey, American politician, U.S. Consul in Callao, 1897-98 6
Walter S. Dickey, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Missouri, 1900, 1912; Candidate for U.S. Senator from Missouri, 1916 6
... (Another 63 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Dickey family +

Flight TWA 800

Mr. Douglas Clair Dickey (d. 1996), from Montoursville, Pennsylvania, USA, American chaperone for the students from Montoursville flying aboard flight TWA 800 from J.F.K. Airport, New York to Leonardo da Vinci Airport, Rome when the plane crashed after takeoff ; he died in the crash 7

Citations +

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)
"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)
Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2017, March 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
The Washington Post Passenger List TWA Flight 800. (Retrieved 2018, February 15th). Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/national/longterm/twa800/list01.htm