Vance History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The name Vance was carried to England in the enormous movement of people that followed the Norman Conquest of 1066. The Vance family lived in East Lothian, Scotland. Their name, however, is a reference to Vaux or Vallibus, Normandy, the family's place of residence prior to the Norman Conquest of England in 1066.
Early Origins of the Vance family
The surname Vance was first found in East Lothian, where they were directly descended from the great baronial family of De Vaux, or De Vallibus, and still had a castle of this name in Normandy until the year 1080. They possessed Dalston and Gilliesland in Cumberland, and the barony of Dirletoun in East Lothian.
Early History of the Vance family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vance research. Another 170 words (12 lines of text) covering the years 1244, 1255, 1306, 1437, 1490, 1515, 1516, 1538 and 1890 are included under the topic Early Vance History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Vance Spelling Variations
Spelling variations of this family name include: Vance, Vans, Vaux, de Vallibus and others.
Early Notables of the Vance family
Outstanding amongst the family at this time was John Vaus or Vascus (1490?-1538?), Scottish Latinist, the earliest Scottish writer on grammar, born in Aberdeen. "He appears to have studied at Paris, and to have returned to his...
Another 37 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Vance Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Vance Ranking
In the United States, the name Vance is the 610th most popular surname with an estimated 47,253 people with that name. 1
Migration of the Vance family to Ireland
Some of the Vance family moved to Ireland, but this topic is not covered in this excerpt.
Another 57 words (4 lines of text) about their life in Ireland is included in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Vance migration to the United States +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Vance Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Andrew Vance, who landed in Virginia in 1700 2
- Robert Vance, who landed in New York in 1799 2
Vance Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- William Vance, who landed in Wilmington, North Carolina in 1804 2
- John Vance, who landed in Maryland in 1811 2
- Isaac Vance, who arrived in New York, NY in 1811 2
- D. Vance, who settled in New York State in 1811
- Jane Vance, aged 22, who arrived in Mobile, Ala in 1820-1873 2
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Vance migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Vance Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
- Mr. William Vance U.E. who settled in St. Andrews, Charlotte County, New Brunswick c. 1784 member of the Cape Ann Association 3
Vance Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Thomas Vance, aged 30, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Nancy" in 1834
- William Vance, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Nancy" in 1834
- Jane Vance, aged 20, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Nancy" in 1834
- Biddy Vance, aged 24, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Robert Burns" in 1834
- Mary Vance, aged 2, who arrived in Saint John, New Brunswick aboard the ship "Robert Burns" in 1834
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Vance migration to Australia +
Emigration to
Australia followed the
First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:
Vance Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century
- Mr. Leslie Vance who was convicted in Stirling, Scotland for 10 years, transported aboard the "David Malcolm" on 13th May 1845, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) and Norfolk Island 4
- Mary Vance, aged 18, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Sea Park"
- Sarah Vance, aged 22, a servant, who arrived in South Australia in 1855 aboard the ship "Warren Hastings"
- David Vance, aged 22, a labourer, who arrived in South Australia in 1858 aboard the ship "Confiance" 5
Contemporary Notables of the name Vance (post 1700) +
- James Howard "Jim" Vance III (1942-2017), American nineteen-time Emmy Award winning television news anchor
- Lieutenant Colonel Leon Robert "Bob" Vance Jr. (1916-1944), United States Army Air Force officer awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor in 1944, eponym of Vance Air Force Base
- Cyrus Roberts Vance (1917-2002), American Secretary of State, recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Paul Vance (1929-2022), born Joseph Paul Florio, an American songwriter and record producer, known for "Catch a Falling Star", "Itsy Bitsy Teenie Weenie Yellow Polkadot Bikini", and "Tracy"
- Courtney Bernard Vance (b. 1960), American multiple award winning actor, known for his work in Law & Order: Criminal Intent (2001), Terminator Genisys (2015) and The Hunt for Red October (1990)
- Lesley Vance (1939-2015), American politician, Member of the Alabama House of Representatives (2006-2015)
- Zebulon Baird Vance (1830-1894), Confederate military officer in the American Civil War, the 37th and 43rd Governor of North Carolina
- John Holbrook "Jack" Vance (1916-2013), American mystery, fantasy and science fiction author, World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement in 1984
- Charles Arthur "Dazzy" Vance (1891-1961), American Major League Baseball starting pitcher
- Vivian Roberta Vance (1909-1979), American award winning television and theater actress and singer best known for her role as Ethel Mertz, sidekick to Lucille Ball on the American television sitcom I Love Lucy
- ... (Another 1 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Vance family +
- Mr. John Vance, American 2nd Class passenger from New York, New York, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and died in the sinking 6
Suggested Readings for the name Vance +
- The Vance Family of Piedmont, North Carolina by Vance Voss Smith.
- The Rich Heritage: Being the Story of Harry and Annie Vance by Joseph Harvey Vance.
Citations +
- "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)
- Rubincam, Milton. The Old United Empire Loyalists List. Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc, 1976. (Originally published as; United Empire Loyalists. The Centennial of the Settlement of Upper Canada. Rose Publishing Company, 1885.) ISBN 0-8063-0331-X
- Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 21st June 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/david-malcolm
- South Australian Register Tuesday 30th November 1858. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) Confiance 1858. Retrieved http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/australia/confiance1858.shtml
- Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 6) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/