Besse History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Germany

During that dark period of history known as the Middle Ages, the name of Besse was first used in Austria. While the patronymic and metronymic surnames, which are derived from the name of the father and mother respectively, are the most common form of a hereditary surname in Germany, occupational surnames also emerged during the late Middle Ages. Many people, such as the Besse family, adopted the name of their occupation as their surname. However, an occupational name did not become a hereditary surname until the office or type of employment became hereditary. The surname Besse was an occupational name for a fine collector. Tracing the origin of the name further, we found the name Besse was derived from the German word buoze, which means fine.

Early Origins of the Besse family

The surname Besse was first found in Austria, where the name Bez made a great early contribution to the feudal society of early of Europe. The name Bez became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in the savage tribal and national conflicts which resulted as various groups sought to maximize their power and status in an ever changing territorial profile.

Early History of the Besse family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Besse research. Another 159 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1603 and 1606 are included under the topic Early Besse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Besse Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Besse include Bez, Bezz, Bezze, Beze, Bes, Bese, Baz, Baez, Bazz, Baezz, Bazze, Baezze, Baze, Baeze, Bas, Baes, Base, Baese, Bezer and many more.

Early Notables of the Besse family

More information is included under the topic Early Besse Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Besse Ranking

In France, the name Besse is the 373^rd most popular surname with an estimated 11,226 people with that name. 1

Besse migration to the United States +

Austria was made a republic after the First World War. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was broken up by the Treaty of Versailles and many of its people found themselves in the new nation of Czechoslovakia. Many other Austrians and expatriate Austrians made their way to North America in the 20th century. Most landed in Philadelphia, later continuing on to the states of Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Some Austrian settlers also went to western Canada and Ontario. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Besse or a variant listed above:

Besse Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Mrs. Besse, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 2
William Besse, who arrived in Virginia in 1623 2
William Besse, who landed in Virginia in 1652 2
Mr Besse, who landed in Virginia in 1658 2
Elizabeth Besse, who landed in Maryland in 1663 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Besse Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Bertrand Besse, who arrived in Louisiana in 1718 2

Besse Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

August Besse, aged 23, who landed in New York, NY in 1852 2
Henrietta Besse, aged 21, who arrived in New York, NY in 1852 2
Johannes Besse, aged 5, who landed in New York in 1854 2
Conrad Besse, aged 11, who arrived in New York in 1854 2
Josephine Besse, aged 33, who landed in New York in 1854 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Besse migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Besse Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Bryant Besse, who landed in Canada in 1828

Contemporary Notables of the name Besse (post 1700) +

Martial Besse, French soldier, who fought in the American civil and later became a General in the French army
Herman Besse (1911-1972), American baseball player
Ralph Moore Besse (b. 1905), American lawyer
Martial Besse, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 3
Brigadier-General Jean Besse (1884-1954), French General Officer Commanding March Division Besse 4
Jacques-Joseph-Marie Besse, French Priest and Legislator
Pierre-Alexandre-Charles Besse de la Romiguière, Magistrate and Legislator, Knight of the Legion of Honour, France

Citations +

http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, February 11) Martial Besse. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html
Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2011, October 3) Jean Besse. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Besse/Jean-Joseph-Ren%C3%A9/France.html