Show ContentsVanessen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Vanessen family

The surname Vanessen was first found in Westphalia, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families in the western region. From the 13th century onwards the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation.

Early History of the Vanessen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vanessen research. Another 62 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1640, 1684 and 1770 are included under the topic Early Vanessen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vanessen Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Osen, Ossen, Oessen, von Oessen, Osson, Oesson, von Oesson and many more.

Early Notables of the Vanessen family

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

Vanessen Ranking

In Netherlands, the name Vanessen is the 203rd most popular surname with an estimated 6,187 people with that name. 1

Migration of the Vanessen family

Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Inger Osen, who arrived in New York, NY in 1852; Burges Osen, who settled in Wisconsin in 1861; Morten Pedersen Osen, who came to Wisconsin in 1886; Hanna Osen, who came to Wisconsin in 1891.


Contemporary Notables of the name Vanessen (post 1700) +

  • Anna G. VanEssen, American politician, Candidate for Pennsylvania State House of Representatives from Allegheny County 6th District, 1926 2
  • Gerard van Essen, Dutch actor
  • Melle van Essen, Dutch cinematographer
  • Shira Van Essen, Dutch actress
  • Jan van Essen (1854-1936), Dutch artist


  1. "Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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