Show ContentsVoller History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Voller is an Anglo-Saxon name. The name was originally given to a person who worked as a fuller. 1 During medieval times the work of the fuller was to wash yardage, by scouring and thickening the cloth for the purpose of pre-shrinking. The fuller would do this by beating and trampling the raw cloth while it was soaking in the water.

Early Origins of the Voller family

The surname Voller was first found in the Assize Rolls of Yorkshire, where Roger Fuler was listed there in 1219. As an occupational name, widespread listings in various counties and shires are to be expected. From this first listing, we found Reginald fullere in Suffolk in 1221, William le Fulur in the Assize Rolls of Warwickshire in 1221 and Simon le Voller in Oxfordshire in 1316. The author notes that the name was chiefly found in "southern and eastern England and that the French form 'fuller' occurs in the whole of England." 2

The Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 list Gilbert le Fuller in Hertfordshire and Ambrose le Fullur in Shropshire. 3

Years later and much further to the north in Scotland, Andrew Fullo was a tenant in Mikilbrekauch, and John Fullo was a tenant in Balgirdane, 1376. Thomas Fullo was burgees of Edinburgh in 1386. 4

The famed Alfred Carl Fuller (1885-1973), the original "Fuller Brush Man," was born in Welsford, Kings County, Nova Scotia, Canada and moved to Boston, Massachusetts in 1903 at the age of 18. Three years later he started the Fuller Brush Company in Hartford, Connecticut.

Early History of the Voller family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Voller research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1273, 1376, 1386, 1557, 1580, 1583, 1606, 1608, 1626, 1633, 1635, 1637, 1640, 1654, 1659, 1660, 1661, 1663, 1667, 1670, 1672, 1675, 1680, 1687, 1691, 1700, 1701, 1704, 1706 and 1734 are included under the topic Early Voller History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Voller Spelling Variations

One relatively recent invention that did much to standardize English spelling was the printing press. However, before its invention even the most literate people recorded their names according to sound rather than spelling. The spelling variations under which the name Voller has appeared include Fuller, Fullere, Fullar, Fullo and others.

Early Notables of the Voller family

Notables of this surname at this time include: Samuel Fuller (baptized 1580-1633), an English doctor and church deacon from Norfolk who sailed about the Mayflower to colonize North America; William Fuller (c. 1580-1659), dean of Ely and later dean of Durham, during the early 1640s he got into serious trouble with parishioners and Parliament; Isaac Fuller...
Another 55 words (4 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Voller Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Ireland Migration of the Voller family to Ireland

Some of the Voller family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 52 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Voller migration to the United States +

At this time, the shores of the New World beckoned many English families that felt that the social climate in England was oppressive and lacked opportunity for change. Thousands left England at great expense in ships that were overcrowded and full of disease. A great portion of these settlers never survived the journey and even a greater number arrived sick, starving, and without a penny. The survivors, however, were often greeted with greater opportunity than they could have experienced back home. These English settlers made significant contributions to those colonies that would eventually become the United States and Canada. An examination of early immigration records and passenger ship lists revealed that people bearing the name Voller arrived in North America very early:

Voller Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • William Voller, who landed in Mississippi in 1876 5
  • Anton Voller, aged 20, who landed in New York, NY in 1885 5
  • Johannes Voller, aged 28, who landed in New York, NY in 1885 5
  • Josef Voller, aged 19, who landed in New York, NY in 1893 5
  • Peter Voller, aged 17, who arrived in Illinois in 1893 5
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Australia Voller migration to Australia +

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

Voller Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Miss Elizabeth Voller, (b. 1781), aged 19, British Convict who was convicted in Southampton, England for 7 years for stealing, transported aboard the "Earl Cornwallis" in August 1800, arriving in New South Wales, Australia, she died in 1825 6
  • Mr. James Voller, English convict who was convicted in Winchester, Hampshire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Cressy" on 28th April 1843, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 7

New Zealand Voller migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Voller Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Abraham Voller, (b. 1810), aged 32, British bricklayer and labourer travelling from London and Plymouth aboard the ship "Thomas Sparks" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1843, the ship stuck rocks of the coast of Cape of Good Hope delaying her landing by 2 months 8
  • Mrs. Elizabeth Voller, (b. 1811), aged 31, British settler travelling from London and Plymouth aboard the ship "Thomas Sparks" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1843, the ship stuck rocks of the coast of Cape of Good Hope delaying her landing by 2 months 8
  • Miss Jane Voller, (b. 1835), aged 7, British settler travelling from London and Plymouth aboard the ship "Thomas Sparks" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1843, the ship stuck rocks of the coast of Cape of Good Hope delaying her landing by 2 months 8
  • Miss Mary Ann Voller, (b. 1830), aged 12, British settler travelling from London and Plymouth aboard the ship "Thomas Sparks" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1843, the ship stuck rocks of the coast of Cape of Good Hope delaying her landing by 2 months 8
  • Miss Elizabeth Voller, (b. 1829), aged 13, British settler travelling from London and Plymouth aboard the ship "Thomas Sparks" arriving in Wellington, New Zealand on 31st January 1843, the ship stuck rocks of the coast of Cape of Good Hope delaying her landing by 2 months 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Voller (post 1700) +

  • Merlin W. Voller, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Genesee County 1st District, 1960; Prohibition Candidate for Michigan State University board of trustees, 1961 9
  • Edward Voller, American politician, Prohibition Candidate for U.S. Representative from Michigan 7th District, 1940 9


  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  3. Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
  4. Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
  5. 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)
  6. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th August 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/earl-cornwallis
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st May 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/cressy
  8. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  9. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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