Dice
A surname most likely linked to the English place-name Diss in Norfolk, with medieval spellings such as Dice and Disse.
The #9,587 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 91,049 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is probably locational, derived from the English place-name Diss in Norfolk. Historical spellings show the place as Dice or Disse before the modern form Diss became fixed. The underlying place-name is generally taken to be very old, though the exact original meaning is not fully certain from the excerpts alone.
History
Medieval records cited by Bardsley show forms like William de Disse in the 13th century, which fits the common pattern of surnames formed from a person’s home parish or township. Over time, surname spellings varied, and Dice appears alongside forms such as Dixey and Diss. The name is rare in modern US records, but it survives as a distinct surname.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same place-name that gave rise to this surname was once written in a form closer to Dice than Diss.
From the historical record
“IMBa,S7oe.— Local, 'of Diss," a parish in co. Horfolk, originally Dice. Blomefield heads bis history ofthe Hundred of Diss, 'Dice, now Diss": FF. i. a. v, also Diiey. William dcDtve, CO. Eacsc, 1>». A.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with special American instances