The Dickson surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 35,312 people carried this name — #986 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 8,350 people counted. That is up 2% from 34,698 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Dickson surname

An English and Irish surname originating as a patronymic.

From Dick + -son.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Dickson» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a baptismal name, from a given name: ‘the son of Richard’.

An early record he cites: Willelmus Dycson, 1379 — Poll Tax, West Riding of Yorkshire.

His entry covers Dick, Dickson, Dixon and Dix.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 240 · public domain.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 55 people named Dickson live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Buenos Aires Province.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Buenos Aires Province 40
City of Buenos Aires 15

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

43 people named Dickson live in Switzerland.

They live in 6 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Zurich 12
Bern 10
Basel-Landschaft 6
Neuchâtel 6
Aargau 5
Geneva 4

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 42 people named Dickson.

Most of them — 23 — were born outside France. Those born in France came from 10 départements, most often Pas-de-Calais.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 23
Pas-de-Calais 4
Nord 4
Paris 3
Mayenne 1
Loire-Atlantique 1
Haute-Garonne 1
Vienne 1
Hauts-de-Seine 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In the Nordic population registers

236 people named Dickson are counted in Sweden and Finland.

Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.

Counted, by country

Sweden (2022) 209
Finland (2026) 27

Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.

In Scotland, 1880s

Dickson was 25 in every 10,000 names in Scotland.

That is about 1 in 400. Its home there, in Guppy’s words: “Central and southern Scotland.” He counted the more than 20,000 names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, taking Scotland as a whole, and listed only the names that reached 10 in every 10,000.

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), appendix: alphabetical list of the most frequent Scottish names, p. 588 — public domain · names in Halliburton’s County Directory of Scotland, per 10,000 for the whole country.

In Scotland’s registers today

Dickson was recorded 240 times in Scotland’s registers of births, marriages and deaths in 2025.

That made it the 78th most common name in those registers, shared with others on the same count. In 1975, the first year of the series, the count was 365. Each birth counts the child’s surname, each marriage both partners’ and each death the surname of the person who died — a yearly count of registrations, not of the people who live in Scotland.

National Records of Scotland, «Most Common Surnames, 2025» (published 26 May 2026): every surname recorded 10 or more times in the 2025 registers, and the series from 1975 · different spellings are counted separately — © Crown copyright 2026. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.

In print

Dickson in American newspapers,
1870–1930.

Newspaper page from Le Messager carrying the name Dickson
Le Messager 1930-03-03
Newspaper page from The Ouachita Telegraph carrying the name Dickson
The Ouachita Telegraph 1870-02-12
Newspaper page from Le Messager carrying the name Dickson
Le Messager 1930-04-02

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.

In print

Dickson in Australian newspapers,
1810s–2000s.

166,367 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dickson. The most, 25,891, date from the 1890s. Weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, it stands out most in Queensland, at 1.7 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

Queensland 50,851
New South Wales 50,677
Victoria 42,302
South Australia 8,273
Western Australia 8,026
Tasmania 5,016
ACT (Canberra) 893
Northern Territory 41

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Dickson.

Who carried it

People named Dickson,
with a public archive behind them.

  • Thomas Dickson d. 1825 · judge
  • John Dickson d. 1767 · politician
  • William Dickson d. 1833 · merchant
  • Herbert Dickson d. 1977 · association football player
  • Edward Dalzell Dickson d. 1900 · botanist
  • James Hill Dickson d. 1867 · botanist

Wikidata (CC0) · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Dickson,
in the records of 7 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States4,601 records

4,601 records of the Dickson name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 1,267
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 963
  • Other U.S. records 2,371
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Ronald George Dickson

    Born 1949; from St Louis, Missouri. U.S. Army, infantryman; killed in action 1970 in Phuoc Long, South Vietnam. Buried at Jefferson Barracks National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record William T. Dickson

    Born 1917 in Oklahoma. Enlisted 1942 at Oklahoma City; manager from Tulsa County. U.S. Army veteran of World War II; died 1988, buried at Fort Gibson National Cemetery, Oklahoma.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Mary Dickson

    Arrived at New York in 1892 aboard the Germanic from Liverpool and Queenstown, aged 29; servant. From Belfast, Ireland; bound for Philadelphia.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 4,601 records for Dickson in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · City of Asheville (public domain, PDDL). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia3,973 records

3,973 records of the Dickson name in Australia
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 2,162
  • Victoria wills and probate, deaths to 2001 757
  • Other Australian records 1,054
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Margaret Dickson

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Tory, sailing from London in 1848. Native of Fermanagh. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1854.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Ann Dickson

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Anna Maria, sailing from London in 1851. Native of Dublin, Dublin. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1857. Married 1857 in Hobart, Tasmania, aged 21.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Mary Dickson

    Died 1898 in Richmond, Tasmania, aged 70. Will registered in Tasmania in 1898.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 3,973 records for Dickson in Australia.

Counts: Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · ACT Government, Transport Canberra and City Services (CC BY 4.0) · City of Ballarat, Avenue of Honour Plaques (CC BY 3.0 AU). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

Canada1,119 records

1,119 records of the Dickson name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 858
  • Canadian Virtual War Memorial 71
  • Other Canadian records 190
  1. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Clara Dickson

    Left New York in 1783 aboard the Esther, bound for Port Roseway, aged 24.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.
  2. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Joseph Dickson

    Came to Ontario in 1865 aboard the Moravian, landing at Quebec, bound for Hamilton, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  3. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Roseanna Craib Dickson

    Died 1993, aged 98; buried at Brookside Cemetery, Winnipeg, Manitoba.

    City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg.

Showing 3 of 1,119 records for Dickson in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · City of Niagara Falls. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Niagara Falls. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · Contains information provided by the City of Waterloo under licence. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0).

United Kingdom200 records

200 records of the Dickson name in the United Kingdom
  • Stirling Council burial records 87
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 63
  • Other British records 50
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record William Dickson

    Born 1897 at Nether Meft; cycle mechanic. Served in the First World War. Named in the Morayshire roll of honour (1921).

    National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Dickson

    Buried in 1948 at Callander Cemetery, Stirling, Scotland, aged 69.

    Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
  3. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Helen Dickson

    Will proved in 1927; of Blk, Blk.

    National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0)

Showing 3 of 200 records for Dickson in the United Kingdom.

Counts: Stirling Council. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · National Library of Scotland, Rolls of Honour (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. · National Library of Wales, Wills Index Cards (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0); Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain).

New Zealand63 records

63 records of the Dickson name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 40
  • Thames-Coromandel District cemetery records 11
  • Other New Zealand records 12
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Agnes Dickson

    Died 1942, aged 86; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record William Dickson

    Died 1974, aged 70; buried at Seddon Cemetery, Marlborough.

    Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Dickson

    Buried in 1885 at Shortland Cemetery, Thames-Coromandel District, Waikato, aged 42.

    Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 63 records for Dickson in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Thames-Coromandel District Council (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0) · Canterbury Maps (Environment Canterbury), Timaru and Mackenzie District Councils (CC BY 3.0 NZ) · Waimakariri District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands51 records

51 records of the Dickson name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 22
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 21
  • Dutch population registers 8
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Bernardina Antonia Dickson

    Married in 1821 in Zwolle; maidservant. Died 1863 in Zwolle, aged 64.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Idora Johanna Arenshof Dickson

    Born 1832 in Olst. Married in 1878 in Amsterdam; domestic servant.

    Open Archives, Collectie Overijssel locatie Zwolle (CC BY 4.0); Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Jacob Dickson

    Married in 1812 in Amsterdam; "zilversmid".

    Open Archives, Noord-Hollands Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 51 records for Dickson in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

France15 records

15 records of the Dickson name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Rene Joseph David Dickson

    Born 1904 in Saint-André-lez-Lille (Nord); died 1979 in Paris.

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Nellie Marcelle Dickson

    Born 1924 in Chocques (Pas-de-Calais); died 1973 in Lille (Nord).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 2 of 15 records for Dickson in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Dickson.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Dickson is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

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