Show ContentsDiss History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Diss family

The surname Diss 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 Diss family

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

Diss Spelling Variations

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

Early Notables of the Diss family

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


Diss migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Diss Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johan Conrad Diss, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 10
Diss Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • F G Diss, who landed in Cincinnati, Oh in 1869-1870 10

Diss migration to Australia +

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

Diss Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century


  1. Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
  2. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  3. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of England. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  4. Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
  5. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  6. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  7. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  8. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  9. 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)
  10. 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)
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada


Houseofnames.com on Facebook