Contents [hide]

Voss History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Motto Citations

Voss History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
Germany

Voss is a name that first reached England following the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Voss family lived in Essex. The name, however, derives from the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066, Vaux, Normandy. 1

Early Origins of the Voss family

The surname Voss was first found in Essex where Robert de Vals, de Valibus, de Vaux was first listed shortly after the Conquest. 2

However, the name was scattered throughout early Britain due to their strong Norman ancestry. Aitard de Vaux held estates in Norfolk in 1086 as did Randulph de Vaux in Cumberland. 1

In part, this was due to the origin of the name "Vaux," a fairly common French place name which is plural of the word "val" which means in English "valley." 2 The "V" and "F" prefix was interchangeable at this time.

Early History of the Voss family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Voss research. Another 93 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1570, 1605, 1606, 1675 and 1732 are included under the topic Early Voss History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Voss Spelling Variations

It is only in the last few hundred years that the English language has been standardized. For that reason, Anglo-Norman surnames like Voss are characterized by many spelling variations. Scribes and monks in the Middle Ages spelled names they sounded, so it is common to find several variations that refer to a single person. As the English language changed and incorporated elements of other European languages such as Norman French and Latin, even literate people regularly changed the spelling of their names. The variations of the name Voss include Faux, Fawkes, Fauks and others.

Early Notables of the Voss family

Another 44 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Voss Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Voss Ranking

In the United States, the name Voss is the 1,487^th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 3

Voss migration to the United States +

Faced with the chaos present in England at that time, many English families looked towards the open frontiers of the New World with its opportunities to escape oppression and starvation. People migrated to North America, as well as Australia and Ireland in droves, paying exorbitant rates for passages in cramped, unsafe ships. Many of the settlers did not make the long passage alive, but those who did see the shores of North America were welcomed with great opportunity. Many of the families that came from England went on to make essential contributions to the emerging nations of Canada and the United States. Some of the first immigrants to cross the Atlantic and come to North America carried the name Voss, or a variant listed above:

Voss Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Voss, aged 22, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Transport" 4
Hans Voss, who arrived in America in 1650 4
Matts De Voss, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1693 4

Voss Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Israel Voss, who landed in Virginia in 1719 4
Bartholomaus Voss, who settled in Philadelphia in 1749
Johan Henrich Voss, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 4
Jurian Voss, who landed in New York in 1763 4
Johann Voss, who arrived in America in 1776
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Voss Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joachim Frederick Lewis Voss, who arrived in New York, NY in 1826 4
Elisab Voss, who arrived in North America in 1832-1849 4
Ernst Jacob Voss, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1836 4
Diederich Friederick Voss, aged 27, who landed in St Louis, Missouri in 1840 4
Gerhard Voss, who landed in Ohio in 1845 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Voss migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Voss Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Christian Voss went to Canada in 1783 with the Empire Loyalists

Voss Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Friedrich Voss, who landed in Quebec in 1850

Voss migration to Australia +

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

Voss Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Voss, British Convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 5
Mr. John Voss, British Convict who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 6

Voss 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:

Voss Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Johann Voss, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blue Jacket" in 1865
John Voss, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blue Jacket" in 1865

Contemporary Notables of the name Voss (post 1700) +

Gordon Owen Voss (1938-2017), American politician and mechanical engineer
Colonel (USA, Ret.) James Shelton Voss (b. 1949), former NASA astronaut with 201 days in space 7
Janice Voss PH.D. (b. 1956), NASA Astronaut with over 49 days in space
Carl Herman Voss (b. 1910), prominent American clergyman and writer
J. Harm Voss, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 1960 8
Grace Voss, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wyoming, 1952 8
Glenn L. Voss, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1928 8
George W. Voss, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1960 8
George R. Voss, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Michigan 3rd District, 1944 8
George A. Voss, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Kings County 9th District, 1907-09 8
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

The Voss Motto +

The motto was originally a war cry or slogan. Mottoes first began to be shown with arms in the 14th and 15th centuries, but were not in general use until the 17th century. Thus the oldest coats of arms generally do not include a motto. Mottoes seldom form part of the grant of arms: Under most heraldic authorities, a motto is an optional component of the coat of arms, and can be added to or changed at will; many families have chosen not to display a motto.

Motto: A Deo et Rege
Motto Translation: From God and the king.

Citations +

The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) James Voss. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/voss-ji.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html