Show ContentsRixon History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The ancestors of the bearers of the Rixon family name are thought have lived in ancient Anglo-Saxon England. They were first found in the county of Somerset. Rixon is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree. In this case the surname was originally derived from the Old English word risc which refers to those individuals who lived near the rushes. 1

Alternatively, the name could have been Saxon in origin, denoting "a powerful, rich, or generous disposition, from ric, rich." 2

Rixon is a village near Sturminster Newton in Dorset.

Early Origins of the Rixon family

The surname Rixon was first found in Cheshire where the mononym Rike was recorded in the Assize Rolls of 1260. A few years later, Osbert, John de la Rixe was recorded in Somerset in the Hundredorum Rolls of 1274. In Suffolk, Ema Ricke and David Rickes were listed there in the Subsidy Rolls of 1327 and later, Richard Rycke and Milcentia Ryckes were listed at Colchester in 1330 and 1351. In Devon, Roger ate Rixe was listed in 1302 and back in Somerset, William atte Ryxe was listed there in 1333. 1

Early History of the Rixon family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Rixon research. Another 54 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1274 and 1333 are included under the topic Early Rixon History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Rixon 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 Rixon include Ricks, Rickes, Rick, Rix, Rixon, Ricke and others.

Early Notables of the Rixon family

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


Rixon migration to the United States +

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 Rixon or a variant listed above:

Rixon Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • John Rixon, who landed in Maryland in 1671 3
Rixon Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jacob Rixon, who arrived in America in 1744-1746 3
  • John Rixon migrated to Carolina in 1774
  • Jacob and John Rixon who settled in Carolina in 1774

Rixon migration to Australia +

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

Rixon Settlers in Australia in the 18th Century
  • Mr. James Rixon, (Rickson, Hickson, Heckson), (b. 1770), aged 27, English convict who was convicted in Derby, Derbyshire, England for life for stealing, transported aboard the "Barwell" in September 1797, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, he died in 1811 4
Rixon Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Thomas Rixon, English convict who was convicted in Wiltshire, England for 7 years for machine breaking, transported aboard the "Eliza" on 2nd February 1831, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), he died in 1835 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Rixon (post 1700) +

  • Helene Rixon, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 1952 6
  • Barry William "Bill" Rixon (1941-2003), Australian politician, Member for Lismore, New South Wales (1988-1999)
  • Stephen John Rixon (b. 1954), Australian former cricketer who played in 13 Tests and 6 One Day Internationals between 1977 and 1985
  • Cheryl Rixon (b. 1954), Australian actress and model

HMS Repulse
  • Mr. James A Rixon, British Stoker, who sailed into battle on the HMS Repulse (1941) and survived the sinking 7


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
  3. 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)
  4. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 29th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/barwell
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 28th February 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/eliza
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  7. HMS Repulse Crew members. (Retrieved 2014, April 9) . Retrieved from http://www.forcez-survivors.org.uk/biographies/listrepulsecrew.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook