Dikinson History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England
Ireland

The generations and branches of the Dikinson family share a name that has its roots in the ancient Anglo-Saxon culture of Britain. The name Dikinson comes from the personal name Richard. Dicca (in the modern form, Dick) is a diminutive of the name Richard. When the son suffix is added to the root, the name literally means son of Richard. 1 "Richard was commonly called Dick, and his sons, were styled 'Dickson' and 'Dickieson.' " 2

Early Origins of the Dikinson family

The surname Dikinson was first found in Lancashire at Wrightington, a township, in the parish of Eccleston, union of Wigan, hundred of Leyland. "Robert Dicconson, of Eccleston, married Anne, daughter of John Wrightington, and was grandfather of William, who was convicted of high treason in the reign of William III. The Dicconsons held the property until 1812, when Capt. Edward Dicconson died without issue, and was succeeded by a nephew, Thomas Eccleston, of Eccleston and Scarisbrick. His son Charles, on succeeding to this estate, assumed the name of Dicconson." 3

Welsh Whitte, again in Lancashire was another estate of the same family. It was originally known as Walsewythull and Walshwittell. "In 1707 it was forfeited by the treason of William Dickenson, then owner, but, owing to legal technicality, the manor was not seized by the crown; and the Dicconsons, his descendants, have since been the principal proprietors." 3

Early History of the Dikinson family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dikinson research. Another 181 words (13 lines of text) covering the years 1300, 1366, 1388, 1594, 1624, 1659, 1663, 1670, 1696, 1700, 1707, 1712, 1713, 1717, 1719, 1722, 1741, 1752 and 1869 are included under the topic Early Dikinson History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dikinson Spelling Variations

Until quite recently, the English language has lacked a definite system of spelling rules. Consequently, Anglo-Saxon surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. Changes in Anglo-Saxon names were influenced by the evolution of the English language, as it incorporated elements of French, Latin, and other languages. Although Medieval scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded, so it is common to find one person referred to by several different spellings of his surname, even the most literate people varied the spelling of their own names. Variations of the name Dikinson include Dickieson, Dickinson, Dickeson, Dickenson and others.

Early Notables of the Dikinson family

Notables of the family at this time include John Dickenson (fl. 1594), English romance-writer of unknown origin. 4 Jonathan Dickinson (1663-1722) was a Quaker merchant from Port Royal, Jamaica who was shipwrecked on the southeast coast of Florida in 1696, along with his family and the other passengers and crew members of the ship. He twice served as Mayor of Philadelphia, in 1712-1713 and 1717-1719. His journal was reprinted sixteen times in English, and three times each in Dutch and German translations, between...
Another 82 words (6 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dikinson Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dikinson family to Ireland

Some of the Dikinson family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt. More information about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Dikinson family

Searching for a better life, many English families migrated to British colonies. Unfortunately, the majority of them traveled under extremely harsh conditions: overcrowding on the ships caused the majority of the immigrants to arrive diseased, famished, and destitute from the long journey across the ocean. For those families that arrived safely, modest prosperity was attainable, and many went on to make invaluable contributions to the development of the cultures of the new colonies. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Dikinson or a variant listed above: Nathaniel Dickerson who was a Town clerk of Wethersfield, Massachusetts, and Philemon Dickinson who was a tanner of Salem, also in the same state. In 1642 Thomas Dickieson moved to New Haven, Connecticut. John Dickeson landed in Virginia in 1669. One branch of the family sailed to Barbados. By 1852 Edward Dickenson had moved as far west as San Francisco Cal..

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)
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.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print