Show ContentsHess History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Hess is derived from the Germanic tribe of the Hessians.

Early Origins of the Hess family

The surname Hess was first found in Austria, where the name became noted for its many branches in the region, each house acquiring a status and influence which was envied by the princes of the region. In their later history the name became a power unto themselves and were elevated to the ranks of nobility as they grew into this most influential family.

Early History of the Hess family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Hess research. Another 142 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1416, 1584, 1764, 1790, 1791 and 1854 are included under the topic Early Hess History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Hess Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Hess, Hesse, Esse, Hessel, Hesselin, Hesso, Hesler, Hesner and many more.

Early Notables of the Hess family

During this period prominent bearers of the name Hess were

  • the Hesse family of Austria

Hess Ranking

In the United States, the name Hess is the 603rd most popular surname with an estimated 49,740 people with that name. [1] However, in France, the name Hess is ranked the 3,549th most popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. [2]


United States Hess migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hess Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Catharine Hess, who is on record in New York city in 1709
  • Joseph Hess, who landed in New York in 1709 [3]
  • Wilhelm Hess, who landed in New York in 1709 [3]
  • Johannes Hess, who landed in New York, NY in 1710 [3]
  • Henrich Hess, who arrived in America in 1724 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hess Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Fred Hess, aged 14, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1807 [3]
  • Caspar Hess, a German mercenary, who remained in America after the Revolution
  • Georg Hess, who landed in America in 1831 [3]
  • Gottlieb Jacob Hess, aged 57, who landed in Missouri in 1838 [3]
  • John Gottlieb Hess, aged 28, who arrived in Missouri in 1838 [3]
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Hess Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Magdalena Hess, aged 26, who arrived in New York, NY in 1928 [3]

Canada Hess migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Hess Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Mr. Jacob Hess U.E. who settled in Canada c. 1784 [4]
Hess Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Henreick Hess, aged 40 who immigrated to Canada, arriving at the Grosse Isle Quarantine Station in Quebec aboard the ship "Sceptre" departing from the port of Hamburg, Germany but died on Grosse Isle on June 14th, 1847 [5]

Australia Hess migration to Australia +

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

Hess Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
  • Louise Wilhelmina Hess, a farm worker, who arrived in South Australia in 1848 aboard the ship "Victoria" [6]

West Indies Hess migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. [7]
Hess Settlers in West Indies in the 18th Century
  • Abraham Hess, who settled in Jamaica in 1728 along with his wife Anna and their two sons

Contemporary Notables of the name Hess (post 1700) +

  • James Ray "Jim" Hess (1936-2021), American football college coach and scout for the Dallas Cowboys in the National Football League
  • Dean Elmer Hess (1917-2015), American Air Force Colonel involved in the "Kiddy Car Airlift," the rescue of 950 orphans and 80 orphanage staff from the path of the Chinese advance during the Korean War on December 20, 1950
  • Max Hess, American Olympic gold medalist for gymnastics at the 1904 Summer Games
  • Brigadier-General Walter Wood Jr. Hess (1892-1972), American Commandant of Camp Carson (1950-1952) [8]
  • Victor Francis Hess (1883-1964), American physicist, who shared the Nobel Prize in 1936
  • Orvan Hess (1906-2002), American doctor who invented the fetal heart monitor
  • Harry Hess (1906-1969), American geologist
  • Moses Hess (1812-1875), German socialist and theorist
  • Donald M. Hess (1936-2023), Swiss winemaker and art collector who at one time had a workforce of 12, 000 employees
  • Walter Rudolf Hess (1881-1973), Swiss physiologist, who shared the 1949 Nobel Prize in Medicine
  • ... (Another 3 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

North Sea Flood
  • H. Hess, British worker aboard the trawler "Sheldon" killed in the North Sea Flood, a major storm surge in 1953
USS Arizona
  • Mr. Darrel Miller Hess, American Fire Controlman First Class from Utah, USA working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he died in the sinking [9]


Suggested Readings for the name Hess +

  • family History of Inter-Married Branches of the Families of Brown, Doane, Hess, Peck, Wintermute by Maurice E. Peck.
  • Descendants of John Hess 1809-1888: A Hess Genealogy Through Pioneer Hans Hess by James H. Hess.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  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. Charbonneau, André, and Doris Drolet-Dubé. A Register of Deceased Persons at Sea and on Grosse Île in 1847. The Minister of Canadian Heritage, 1997. ISBN: 0-660-198/1-1997E (p. 33)
  6. State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) VICTORIA 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Victoria.htm
  7. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  8. Generals of World War II. (Retrieved 2012, March 12) Walter Hess. Retrieved from http://generals.dk/general/Hess/Walter_Wood_Jr./USA.html
  9. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html


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