This interesting surname is a patronymic form of Dick, which is of Scottish and English origin, and is derived from the pet form of the personal name Richard. The personal name was originally known as "Ricehard", meaning "a hard ruler", derived from the Germanic "ric", power and "hard", hardy, brave, strong; the name was later developed into Ricard. The Normans spread the present forms of the name, Richard, after the Conquest of 1066. The name development since 1366 (see below) includes the following: John Dykonesson (1388, Yorkshire); Henry Dicason (1518, Yorkshire); Gilbert Dychenson (1585, Yorkshire); and Nicholas Dikersone (1598, Norfolk). The modern patronymics of the name include: Dickinson, Dickenson, Dickison, Dicke(-)son and Dickason. Recordings from London Church Registers include: the marriage of Alexander Dickinson and Elizabeth Worship on April 24th 1649, at St. Katherine by the Tower, and the christening of Bartholomew, son of John and Penelope Dickinson, on August 24th 1718, at St. Bartholomew the Great. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of William Dykouson, which was dated 1366, in the "Subsidy Rolls of Lancashire", during the reign of King Edward 111, known as "The Father of the Navy", 1327 - 1377. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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