Show ContentsVest History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Vest family

The surname Vest was first found in Switzerland, where the name Vest made a great early contribution to the feudal society which shaped the early development of Europe. The name Vest became prominent in local affairs and branched into many houses which played important roles in the savage tribal and national conflicts, each group striving to obtain power and status in a constantly changing territorial profile.

Early History of the Vest family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vest research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the year 1787 is included under the topic Early Vest History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vest Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Vest, Veste, Vester, Vestert, Vesten, Vestens and many more.

Early Notables of the Vest family

Notables of the time with the surname Vest were

  • Laurenz Vest, personal physician to Arch-Duchess, Maria Anna, ennobled in 1787...

Vest Ranking

In the United States, the name Vest is the 2,776th most popular surname with an estimated 9,948 people with that name. 1


United States Vest migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Vest Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • H. N. Vest, who settled in Charles Town [Charleston], South Carolina in 1821
  • J. Vest, who settled in San Francisco in 1851
  • J Vest, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 2
  • Heinrich Vest, who sailed to America in 1855
  • Heinr Vest, who landed in America in 1855 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Vest (post 1700) +

  • George Southall Vest (b. 1918), former United States diplomat and State Department official
  • Dorothy Crowe Vest (b. 1919), American world class female tennis player, eponym of Jackson's Dorothy Vest Tennis Center
  • Charles "Chuck" Marstiller Vest (1941-2013), American educator and engineer, President of MIT (1990 to 2004)
  • George Graham Vest (1830-1904), American politician, Missouri Congressman, a Confederate Congressman during the Civil War and US Senator
  • David Carl Quentin Vest, American columnist, poet and musician
  • Jim Vest (b. 1941), American singer, songwriter and music producer known for the being the front man of "Nashville Cats" 1969-1985, he plays derby steel guitar, founder of Vest Music Group
  • John P. Vest, American politician, Mayor of Salem, North Carolina, 1867-68, 1873-74; Member of North Carolina State House of Representatives from Forsyth County, 1868-69 3
  • George Graham Vest (1830-1904), American Democratic Party politician, Member of Missouri State House of Representatives, 1860; Senator from Missouri in the Confederate Congress, 1865; U.S. Senator from Missouri, 1879-1903 3
  • Edward C. Vest, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates from Cabell County, 1940 3
  • David D. Vest, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for U.S. Representative from California 39th District, 1986 3
  • ... (Another 10 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


Suggested Readings for the name Vest +

  • The Reverend J.J. Vest and Some of His Kinfolk by Lora Smith Cooper Ross.

  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. 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)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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