Dies History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

Early Origins of the Dies family

The surname Dies was first found in Cambridge where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. After the Battle of Hastings in 1066, William, Duke of Normandy, having prevailed over King Harold, granted most of Britain to his many victorious Barons. It was not uncommon to find a Baron, or a Bishop, with 60 or more Lordships scattered throughout the country. These he gave to his sons, nephews and other junior lines of his family and they became known as under-tenants. They adopted the Norman system of surnames which identified the under-tenant with his holdings so as to distinguish him from the senior stem of the family. After many rebellious wars between his Barons, Duke William, commissioned a census of all England to determine in 1086, settling once and for all, who held which land. He called the census the Domesday Book, 1 indicating that those holders registered would hold the land until the end of time. Hence, conjecturally, the surname is descended from the tenant of the lands of Boselinus de Dive, a knight of archbishop Lanfranc of Christ Church, Canterbury, who was recorded in the Domesday Book census of 1086. He was listed as Dives sur Mer, from Calvados in Normandy. This great family held all the lands of Dives near Caen.

Early History of the Dies family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dies research. Another 75 words (5 lines of text) covering the years 1172, 1587, 1599, 1603, 1607, 1645, 1647, 1669 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Dies History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dies Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dive, Dives, Divas, Diva, Dyve, Dyves, Dyva, Diver and many more.

Early Notables of the Dies family

Outstanding amongst the family at this time was Sir Lewis Dyve (1599-1669), an English Member of Parliament and a Royalist adherent during the English Civil War. He was the son of Sir John Dyve of Bromham, Bedfordshire (d. 1607.) Dyve was captured at the siege of Sherborne, and imprisoned in the Tower of London from 1645 to 1647. He escaped, but was...
Another 61 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dies Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dies family to Ireland

Some of the Dies family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 99 words (7 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dies migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dies Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Dies, who arrived in New York in 1709 2
Lutwig Dies, who arrived in Massachusetts in 1753 2
Matthaus Dies, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 2
Hans Michael Dies, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 2

Dies Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

George Adam Dies, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1805 2
R Dies, aged 29, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1826 2
Fernando Dies, aged 44, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1829 2
Jose Dies, aged 50, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1849 2
Mr. Dies, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Dies migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dies Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. John Dies U.E. who settled in Fredericksburgh [Greater Napanee], Ontario c. 1786 3
Mr. Mathew Dies Sr., U.E. who settled in Fredericksburgh [Greater Napanee], Ontario c. 1786 3

Dies Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

George Dies, who arrived in Ontario in 1871

Contemporary Notables of the name Dies (post 1700) +

Martin Dies (1900-1972), American Democratic Party politician, U.S. Representative from Texas, 1931-45, 1953-59 4
Martin Dies (1870-1922), American Democratic Party politician, Tyler County Judge, 1894; U.S. Representative from Texas 2nd District, 1909-19 4

Citations +

Williams, Dr Ann. And G.H. Martin, Eds., Domesday Book A Complete Translation. London: Penguin, 1992. Print. (ISBN 0-141-00523-8)
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 2016, January 15) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html