Dick is used as a surname in English, German and other languages. In English, the surname is patronymic based on the use of Dick as a first name, meaning 'son of Dick' or 'son of Richard', just like Dickson. The name can also be based on the use of the Middle English words dich, diche, dik, dike 'ditch' as a place name description. In German, surnames with the form Dick has arisen through different sources: the adjective dick 'plump', the noun Dickicht 'thicket' used about someone living in such a location, as a patronymic surname based on Dick used as a first name or nickname, or as a variant of Dieck.
It is the 1,513th most common name in Great Britain with 6,545 bearers. Although found in every part of Britain, the form Dick is especially common in Scotland, and it was from there, in the 17th century, that the surname was taken to Northern Ireland. It is most common in West Lothian, where it is the 78th most common surname with 1,742 bearers. Other notable concentrations include Northumberland (146th, 1,630), Tyne and Wear (335th, 1,738), Berkshire (365th, 1,704), and in Norfolk.
Currently, in the U.S., it ranks at 1,718 out of 162,253 surnames.
Contents
Notable people
A–K
Adi Dick (born 1978), New Zealand singer, songwriter, and producer
Alan Dick (1930–2002), British sprinter
Albert Dick (1856–1934), American businessman
Alfred Dick (entrepreneur) (1865–1909), Swiss sports executive and entrepreneur
Alfred Dick (politician) (1927–2005), German politician and school teacher
Allan Dick (politician) (1915–1992), New Zealand politician
Allan Dick (field hockey) (born 1983) Scottish field hockey goalkeeper
Allie Luse Dick (1859–1933), American music teacher
Amnon Dick, (born 1952) Israeli businessman
Andrew Dick (footballer) (born 1986), English-born Scottish footballer
Andy Dick (born 1965), American comedian, actor, voice artist, musician and TV/film producer
Auguste Dick (1910–1993), Austrian historian of mathematics
Barry Dick, Australian sports columnist
Billy Dick (1889–?), Australian rules footballer
Brad Dick (born 1988), Australian rules footballer
Cameron Dick, Australian politician
Casey Dick (born 1986), American college footballer
Charles W. F. Dick (1858–1945), American politician
Christian Dick (1883–1955), Norwegian sailor
Cressida Dick (born 1960), Commissioner of London Metropolitan Police
Fish (singer) (born Derek William Dick 1958), Scottish singer
Elisha C. Dick, mayor of Alexandria, Virginia, and attending physician at George Washington's death
Florian Dick (born 1984), German footballer
Franklin Archibald Dick (1823–1885), American jurist
George Dick (Governor of Bombay) (?–1818), governor of Bombay
George Dick (1921–1960), Scottish footballer
Gerry Dick, American journalist
Gradey Dick, American basketball player
Harold G. Dick (1907–1997), American mechanical engineer
Harry Dick (1920–2002), Canadian ice hockey player
Homer E. A. Dick (1884–1942), New York state senator
Ingrid Dick (born 1972), Australian netball player
Irene Dick (born 1949), Curaçaoan politician
James Dick (disambiguation)
Jennifer K Dick (born 1970), American poet, translator and educator
Jessie Alexandra Dick (1896–1976), Scottish artist
Johann Dick (1927–1986), citizen of West Germany who was shot dead on the Czechoslovak border
John Dick (basketball) (1918–2011), American basketball player
John Dick (footballer born 1876) (1876–?), Scottish footballer
John Dick (footballer born 1930) (1930–2000), Scottish footballer
John Dick (scientist) (born 1957), Canadian scientist
John Dick (US Congressman) (1794–1872), American politician
Sir John Dick-Lauder (1883–1958), British soldier
Jürgen Dick (born 1963), Swiss curler
Kirby Dick (born 1952), American documentary film director
King Size Dick (born 1942), German comedic musician
L–Z
Larry Dick (1955–2019), American player of Canadian football
Lily Dick (born 1999), Australian women's national rugby sevens team player
Michael Clarke (musician), birth name of American drummer Michael Clarke
Milton Dick (born 1972), Australian politician
Myvanwy M. Dick (1910–1993), British-American zoologist and curator
Nancy Dick (born 1930), Colorado's first female Lieutenant Governor
Nigel Dick (born 1953), English director, writer and musician
Paul Dick (1940–2018), Canadian lawyer and politician
Paul Revere (musician) (1938–2014), American musician
Philip K. Dick (1928–1982), American author whose published work was almost entirely in the science fiction genre
Robert Dick (cricketer) (1889–1983), English cricketer
Robert Dick (geologist) (1811–1866), Scottish geologist and botanist
Robert Dick (flautist) (born 1950), American flutist and composer
Sir Robert Henry Dick (c. 1785–1846), Scottish soldier
Robert Dick Wilson (1856–1930), American linguist and Presbyterian scholar
Robert P. Dick (1823–1898) American jurist