Dix
A short English surname that likely began as a pet-name form of Richard, via Dick.
The #3,647 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,673 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Dix is generally treated as a clipped or variant patronymic from Dick, itself a medieval pet form of Richard. The deeper root is Germanic: Richard means roughly "hard power" or "strong ruler." In older surname formation, Dick could produce many descendants, including Dix, Dicks, Dixon, and Dickson.
History
19th-century surname writers commonly grouped Dix with the Dick/Dickson/Dixon family of names. Lower explicitly refers Dix to Richard, while Bardsley notes it among the forms derived from Dick. The surname is found in England and later in the United States, where it remains relatively uncommon.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Dix is one of several surnames that ultimately grew out of a medieval nickname so common it became a whole surname family.
From the historical record
“DIX Dillman may liave been derived from some handicraft. DILLEY. SeeDilke. DILLIMORE. SeeDilke. DILLMAN. See DiUer.”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom