Show ContentsDutcher History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Dutcher

What does the name Dutcher mean?

The name Dutcher is Anglo-Saxon in origin. It was a name given to a worker who was a dike or ditch maker.

Early Origins of the Dutcher family

The surname Dutcher was first found in East Sussex and either Upper Dicker or Lower Dicker, villages that date back to 1229 where they were listed as Diker.

The place name is derived from the Middle English word "dyker" which means "ten" as in a plot of land for which ten iron rods were paid in rent. 1

Early History of the Dutcher family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dutcher research. Another 258 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1066, 1210, 1296, 1327, 1379, 1572, 1577, 1600, 1625, 1628, 1631, 1632 and 1637 are included under the topic Early Dutcher History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dutcher Spelling Variations

Until the dictionary, an invention of only the last few hundred years, the English language lacked any comprehensive system of spelling rules. Consequently, spelling variations in names are frequently found in early Anglo-Saxon and later Anglo-Norman documents. One person's name was often spelled several different ways over a lifetime. The recorded variations of Dutcher include Dicker, Decker, Deeker, Dyker, Dikkers, Ditcher and many more.

Early Notables of the Dutcher family

Notables of the family at this time include Thomas Dekker (c. 1572-1632), an English Elizabethan dramatist and pamphleteer. "His birthplace was London, as he intimates in ‘The Seuen Deadly Sinnes,’ 1600, and in ‘A Rod for Run-awayes,’ 1625. In ‘Warres, Warres, Warres,’ a tract published in 1628, he describes himself as an old man; and in the dedication to ‘Match...
Another 59 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dutcher Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dutcher Ranking

In the United States, the name Dutcher is the 5,751st most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 2


Dutcher migration to the United States +

Thousands of English families boarded ships sailing to the New World in the hope of escaping the unrest found in England at this time. Although the search for opportunity and freedom from persecution abroad took the lives of many because of the cramped conditions and unsanitary nature of the vessels, the opportunity perceived in the growing colonies of North America beckoned. Many of the settlers who survived the journey went on to make important contributions to the transplanted cultures of their adopted countries. The Dutcher were among these contributors, for they have been located in early North American records:

Dutcher Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Rudolf Dutcher, who arrived in America in 1650 3
Dutcher Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • J D Dutcher, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1850 3

Dutcher migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dutcher Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Capt. Barret Dyer U.E., "Barrett Dyre" who settled in Marysburgh & Sophiasburgh [Prince Edward County], Ontario c. 1790 son of Deborah Aylsworth from her first marriage 4
Dutcher Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Frederick Ruluff Dutcher, who arrived in Canada in 1834
  • William Ashley Dutcher, who landed in Canada in 1834

Dutcher migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Dutcher Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Moses A. Dutcher, (b. 1815), aged 25, American carpenter who was convicted in Kingston, Ontario, Canada for life for unlawful invasion, transported aboard the "Brothers" on 28th September 1839, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land), captured at the battle of Windmill in 1838 he died in 1855 5

Contemporary Notables of the name Dutcher (post 1700) +

  • John Bowdish Dutcher (1830-1911), American farmer, businessman, banker and politician, Member of the New York State Assembly (1861-1862), New York State Senator (1864-1865)
  • Judith H. Dutcher (b. 1962), American attorney and former politician, Minnesota State Auditor (1995-2003), son of Jim Dutcher
  • James L. "Jim" Dutcher (1918-1992), American 23rd head football coach for the Doane College Tigers (1942-1951)
  • Silas Belden Dutcher (1829-1909), American politician, New York State Superintendent of Public Works (1880-1883)
  • Richard Alan Dutcher (b. 1964), American independent filmmaker, nicknamed "The Father of Mormon Cinema"
  • Raymond Dutcher (1885-1975), American fencer who competed in the individual and team épée events at the 1920 Summer Olympics
  • Jim Dutcher, American former head basketball coach at the University of Minnesota (1975-1986)
  • Charles B. Dutcher, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Columbia County, 1836 6
  • C. M. Dutcher, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Iowa, 1916 6
  • Andrew Dutcher, American politician, Member of New Jersey State House of Assembly from Union County, 1872 6
  • ... (Another 7 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. Mills, A.D., Dictionary of English Place-Names. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-19-869156-4)
  2. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  3. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  4. Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
  5. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 5th November 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/buffalo
  6. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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