Find out how popular the last name Dix is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Dix.

Dix, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Dix surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Dix in America

Dix is the 3647th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Dix surname appeared 9,748 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 3 people would have the surname Dix.

We can also compare 2010 data for Dix to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Dix

The surname DIX is of Anglo-Norman origin, derived from the Old French word "dis" meaning "the tenth". It is believed to have been an occupational surname given to the tenth son or a tax collector who collected tithes (one-tenth of a person's income). The name is first recorded in England in the 12th century Pipe Rolls of Yorkshire.

The earliest recorded bearer of the name was Richard le Dis, who was listed in the Domesday Book of 1086 as holding lands in Oxfordshire. Another early record is that of Roger Dix, who was mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of Norfolk in 1199. The surname is also found in various other medieval records, such as the Hundred Rolls of 1273, where it is spelled as "Dyk" and "Dyke".

In the 16th century, the name is recorded in the Parish Registers of St. Botolph's, Bishopsgate, London, where Thomas Dix was christened in 1563. The variant spelling "Dicks" is also found in this period, with John Dicks being recorded in the Subsidy Rolls of Suffolk in 1568.

The name has been associated with several notable individuals throughout history. One of the earliest was Sir Jasper Dix (1510-1578), who served as Lord Mayor of London in 1572-1573. Another prominent bearer of the name was Dorothy Dix (1870-1951), an American journalist and advice columnist who gained national fame for her syndicated column in the early 20th century.

Other notable individuals with the surname Dix include:

1. John Adams Dix (1798-1879), an American politician who served as Secretary of the Treasury and Governor of New York.
2. Dorothea Lynde Dix (1802-1887), an American social reformer and advocate for the humane treatment of the mentally ill.
3. Otto Dix (1891-1969), a German painter and printmaker, noted for his harsh and satirical works depicting the brutality of war and the decadence of German society.
4. John Dix (1884-1948), an English cricketer who played for Worcestershire and captained the English Test team between 1922 and 1926.
5. Morgan Dix (1827-1908), an American Episcopal clergyman who served as the Rector of Trinity Church in New York City for over four decades.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Dix

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Dix.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Dix was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Dix has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Dix was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Dix, please contact us.

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