Bass History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:

England

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The name Bass was most likely taken on by someone who was a person of small stature having derived from the Old English word bas, meaning short. Alternatively, the name could have been derived from the French word bas which has the same meaning. 1

Early Origins of the Bass family

The surname Bass was first found in Leicestershire where "Bass is a Leicestershire name. Basse occurred in Cambridgeshire and Oxfordshire in the 13th century. Edward Bashe held the manor of Botelers in Prittlewell parish, Essex, in the reign of Elizabeth." 2

Further north in Scotland, ancient records there found the name in Aberbuthenoth where "Andrew de Bas who was one of the jurors in a dispute regarding the Kirketun of Aberbuthenoth" in 1206. Apparently, he derived his name from Bass in Aberdeenshire. 3 Bass Isle is found in the parish of North Berwick, county of Haddington. 4

Early History of the Bass family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Bass research. Another 37 words (3 lines of text) covering the years 1583, 1653, 1698, 1699 and 1725 are included under the topic Early Bass History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Bass Spelling Variations

Huguenot surnames were only slightly Anglicized, and they remain to this day a distinct group of surnames in England. Nevertheless, Huguenot surnames have been subject to numerous spelling alterations since the names emerged in France. French surnames have a variety of spelling variations because the French language has changed drastically over the centuries. French was developed from the vernacular Latin of the Roman Empire. It is divided into three historic and linguistic periods: Old French, which developed before the 14th century; Middle French, which was used between the 14th and 16th centuries; and Modern French, which was used after the 16th century and continues to be in use today. In all of these periods, the French language was heavily influenced by other languages. For example, Old French was infused with Germanic words and sounds when the barbarian tribes invaded and settled in France after the fall of the Roman Empire. Middle French also borrowed heaviliy from the Italian language during the Renaissance. Huguenot names have numerous variations. The name may be spelled Bass, Bassin, Bassen and others.

Early Notables of the Bass family

Notable in the family at this time was

William Basse (c.1583-1653), an English poet from Thame, Oxfordshire, a follower of Edmund Spenser and it best known for his eulogy he wrote about Shakespeare. 5
Jeremiah Basse (died 1725), was 5th Governor of East & West New Jersey (1698-1699.)

Bass Ranking

In the United States, the name Bass is the 456^th most popular surname with an estimated 62,175 people with that name. 6

Bass migration to the United States +

Early records show that people bearing the name Bass arrived in North America quite early:

Bass Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Samuel Bass, who landed in Braintree, Massachusetts in 1634 7
John Bass, who landed in Virginia in 1637 7
William Bass, who landed in Massachusetts in 1638 7
Mr Bass, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 7
Gregory Bass, who landed in Virginia in 1642 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bass Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Hannah Bass, who landed in Virginia in 1704 7
Susan Bass, who landed in Virginia in 1704 7
Eliz Bass, who landed in Virginia in 1704 7
Thomas Bass, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7
William Bass, who landed in Virginia in 1714 7
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Bass Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Juan Bass, who landed in New Spain in 1836 7
Dettmar Bass, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1841 7
Adriana Bass, aged 25, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 7
Abraham Bass, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 7
Helene Bass, who arrived in America in 1851 7

Bass migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Bass Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Hiram Bass, who landed in Canada in 1841

Bass migration to Australia +

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

Bass Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Miss Ann Bass, (King), Irish convict who was convicted in Ireland, transported aboard the "Canada" on 21st March 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia then transported on to Tasmania per "Elizabeth Henrietta" 8
Henry Bass, English convict from Buckinghamshire, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9
Samuel Bass, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 10
Mr. Ezra Bass, English convict who was convicted in London, England for life , transported aboard the "China" on 15th January 1846, arriving in Norfolk Island, Australia 11
Miss Ellen Bass, English convict who was convicted in Chelmsford, Essex, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Elizabeth and Henry" on 14th September 1846, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 12

Bass 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:

Bass Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

John Bass, aged 28, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 13
Harriet Bass, aged 28, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 13
Sarah Bass, aged 4, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 13
James Bass, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waipa" in 1876

Contemporary Notables of the name Bass (post 1700) +

Jules Bass (1935-2022), American director, producer, composer, lyricist, and author, co-founder of Rankin/Bass Productions, with his friend, Arthur Rankin Jr, perhaps best remembered for his special "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer," in 1964
Lee Odiss "Micky" Bass III (1943-2022), American bassist, composer, arranger, and music educator who played with Chico Freeman, John Hicks, and Kiane Zawadi
George Fletcher Bass (1932-2021), American archaeologist and pioneer of underwater archaeology
Sam Bass (1851-1878), American train robber and outlaw of the Old West; he died from wounds suffered in a gun battle with Texas Rangers
Sam Bass (1961-2019), American motorsports artist, NASCAR's first officially licensed artist
Fred Bass (1928-2018), American businessman, owner of New York City's Strand Bookstore
Ron Bass (1948-2017), ring name of Ronald Heard, an American professional wrestler, best known under the name "The Outlaw" Ron Bass
Nicole Bass -Fuchs (1964-2017), née Bass, an American bodybuilder, actress, professional wrestler, and professional wrestling valet
Don Bass (1946-2016), ring name of Donald Hollis Welch, an American professional wrestler
Ronald "Ron" Bass (b. 1942), American Academy Award winning screenwriter for Rain Man (1988)
... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Bass family +

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
"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 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Argyle voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1831 with 251 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/argyle/1831
State Library of Queensland. (Retrieved 2015, January 8) Anson voyage to Van Diemen's Land, Australia in 1843 with 499 passengers. Retrieved from http://www.convictrecords.com.au/ships/anson/1843
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 5th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/china
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth-and-henry
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html