Explore the Family Name Dickinson
The meaning of Dickinson
English: variant of Dickenson, a patronymic from the Middle English personal name Dicun a pet form of Richard (see Dicken) + son. History: Jonathan Dickinson, the first president of the College of New Jersey (now Princeton), was born in Hatfield, MA, in 1688. Both his parents came from pioneer Connecticut Valley stock.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Dickinson in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Dickinson showed a slight decrease from 2000 to 2010. In 2000, Dickinson ranked as the 1,230th most popular surname in the United States. By 2010, it had slipped to 1,324th, a change of -7.64%. However, the count of people with the Dickinson surname increased marginally by 1.77% over the same period, growing from 26,144 to 26,607. The proportion of Dickinsons per 100,000 people also decreased slightly from 9.69 to 9.02, a change of -6.91%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #1,230 | #1,324 | -7.64% |
| Count | 26,144 | 26,607 | 1.77% |
| Proportion per 100k | 9.69 | 9.02 | -6.91% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Dickinson
Ethnicity-wise, the Dickinson surname was predominantly identified with the White demographic, based on the Decennial U.S. Census data. In 2000, 91.53% of Dickinsons reported themselves as White, though this percentage slightly decreased to 89.69% in 2010. Ethnicities such as Hispanic, Black, Asian/Pacific Islander, Two or more races, and American Indian and Alaskan Native also comprised Dickinsons, albeit in much smaller proportions. Notably, the fastest growing ethnic identities associated with the Dickinson surname from 2000 to 2010 were American Indian and Alaskan Native (50% increase) and Hispanic (49.71% increase). While these changes are significant, they started from a small base and therefore did not greatly shift the overall ethnic makeup of Dickinsons.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 91.53% | 89.69% | -2.01% |
| Black | 4.53% | 4.78% | 5.52% |
| Hispanic | 1.71% | 2.56% | 49.71% |
| Two or More Races | 1.34% | 1.71% | 27.61% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.57% | 0.78% | 36.84% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.32% | 0.48% | 50% |
Dickinson ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Dickinson is British & Irish, which comprises 54.0% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (24.4%) and Scandinavian (4.7%). Additional ancestries include Eastern European, Spanish & Portuguese, Italian, Ashkenazi Jewish, and Indigenous American.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 54.0% |
| French & German | 24.4% |
| Scandinavian | 4.7% |
| Other | 16.9% |
Possible origins of the surname Dickinson
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Dickinson have recent ancestry locations all within the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 89.10% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 88.80% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 88.80% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 88.70% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 88.50% |
What Dickinson haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Dickinson is I-L1498, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-L1498 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-P311 and R-M405, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Payne, Mitchell, Howard, Smith, Morrison, Miller, Nichols, Brown, Clark, Roberts.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Dickinson surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Dickinson have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Dickinson" Surname 42.6%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Dickinson" Surname 27.3%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Dickinson" Surname 16.8%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Dickinson" Surname 17.1%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Dickinson?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Dickinson are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition