Dickenson
A patronymic surname meaning “son of Dick,” with Dick being a familiar form of Richard.
The #7,283 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 67,485 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Dickenson is an English patronymic surname built from the nickname Dick plus the suffix -son, meaning “son of.” Dick itself is a medieval pet form of Richard, so the name ultimately means “son of Richard.” Historical sources also show many spellings of the same family name, including Dickens, Dickinson, Dickson, and Dixon.
History
The name is well attested in England by the early modern period, and its many spellings reflect local pronunciation and spelling habits before standardization. English surname dictionaries of the 19th and early 20th centuries consistently group Dickenson with the larger Richard-name family. The form Dickenson is less common today than Dickinson or Dickson, but all belong to the same broad surname group.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
19th-century surname scholars often listed Dickenson alongside a whole cluster of Richard-based surnames, showing how one medieval nickname generated a large surname family.
From the historical record
“q.v. Hence Cattlinson or Cattin- son corrupted to Catterson ; cf. Patterson, Dickenson, or Hatter- son for Pallinson, Dickinson, and Mattinson. Londi”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances