Dixson
A spelling variant of Dixon, originally meaning “son of Dick” or “son of Richard.”
The #7,748 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 72,053 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Dixson is a spelling variant of Dixon, a surname formed from the personal name Dick, a medieval short form of Richard. The literal sense is “Dick’s son,” or more generally “son of Richard.” In older records the spelling varied widely, including Dikson, Dykson, Diksone, Diksoune, Dixson, and Dickson.
History
Historical sources show the name in many interchangeable spellings, especially in Scotland and northern England. Some 19th-century writers also repeated a Scottish pedigree linking certain bearers to the Keith family, but that claim is not needed to explain the surname’s ordinary origin. Today Dixson is much less common than Dixon, but the two are historically part of the same naming family.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old genealogical works often treated Dixson and Dickson as just different spellings of the same surname, not separate names.
From the historical record
“JohnAthtll,ca Norf, 1384: ibid. vi. 501. iSdS. Bdward Dixson and Margaret Attnll : Marriage Lie. (Londonl i. 18. Crocfcford, 2 ; MDB. (co. Norfolk^ 3. Atthow; V. Athow.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)