Show ContentsVos History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Vos family

The surname Vos was first found in Holland, 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. The name was first recorded in Amsterdam, an ancient 13th century town held by the Lords of Amstel. Giesebrecht II built a castle there. Geisbrecht III built the dam to keep out the sea. It is first mentioned in charters of 1275 when Floris IV, the count of Holland granted its charter. It became a city of great mercantile wealth. It hold great treasures of art. In their later history the surname became a power unto themselves and were elevated to the ranks of nobility as they grew into a most influential family.

Early History of the Vos family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vos research. Another 132 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1536, 1577, 1584, 1603, 1612, 1618, 1629, 1649, 1651, 1667, 1689, 1701, 1720, 1794, 1800 and 1840 are included under the topic Early Vos History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vos Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Vos, Vosch, Voshol, Voss, Vosse, Vossem, Fos, Föse, Foss, Fossa and many more.

Early Notables of the Vos family

From this era of Dutch history, those of this who distinguished themselves included

  • Jan Jansz Vos (1612-1667), a Dutch playwright and poet; and Marten de Vos (c.1536-1603) and Cornelis de Vos (1584-1651) were noted Flemish painters of that era
  • Isaac Vossius (1618-1689), was Canon of Windsor, and scholar, born at Leyden in 1618, the seventh child of Gerard John Vos (1577-1649), the famous Dutch scholar, by his second wife, Elizabeth. "The fa...

Vos Ranking

In the United States, the name Vos is the 12,493rd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in Netherlands, the name Vos is ranked the 14th most popular surname with an estimated 34,090 people with that name. 2


United States Vos migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Vos Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Hans Vos, who settled in New York City in 1642
  • Hans Vos, who arrived in New Netherland(s) in 1642 3
  • Cornelis Dircksen Vos, who arrived in New York, NY in 1661 3
  • Cornelius Vos, who landed in Maryland in 1661 3
Vos Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johan Vos, who arrived in New York in 1709 3
  • Anna Maria Salbach Vos, who settled in New York in 1710
  • Anna Christina Vos, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1787 3
  • Joh Rudolf Vos, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1787 3
  • Anna Vos, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1797
Vos Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Antonius Vos, aged 28, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1847 3
  • J Vos, aged 30, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1847 3
  • Jan De Vos, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 3
  • Deborah Vos, aged 24, who arrived in New York, NY in 1848 3
  • Adrianus Vos, who landed in Iowa in 1849 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Vos (post 1700) +

  • Robin J. Vos, American politician, 100th Speaker of the Wisconsin State Assembly
  • Geerhardus Johannes Vos (1862-1949), American Calvinist theologian
  • Rich Ira Vos (b. 1957), American comedian
  • Peter Jon de Vos (1938-2008), American politician, U.S. Ambassador to Cape Verde, 1980-83; Guinea-Bissau, 1980-83; Mozambique, 1983-87; Liberia, 1990-92; Tanzania, 1992-94; Costa Rica, 1994-97 4
  • Lloyd De Vos, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from New Jersey, 2000 4
  • Hendricus "Henk" Johannes Petrus Vos (b. 1968), Dutch former football striker
  • Jan Vos (1888-1939), Dutch bronze medalist footballer at the 1912 Summer Olympics
  • Ida Vos (1931-2006), award-winning Dutch author
  • Willem Vos (b. 1964), Dutch Professor of Physics at the University of Twente, Netherlands
  • Hubert Vos (1855-1935), Dutch painter and member of the Royal Society of British Artists
  • ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. "Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
  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. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 17) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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