De vos History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
France
Germany

The De vos family name emerged in Pomerania, a territory of Germany and a maritime province of Prussia. Pomerania was bounded on the south by Brandenburg, on the west by Mecklenburg, and on the east by Poland. During the 5th century, Pomerania was settled by Pommern, who were a Slavic tribe. Pommern, meaning on the sea, became the name of this region during the reign of the Charlemagne.

Early Origins of the De vos family

The surname De vos was first found in Mecklenburg and Pomerania, where this old family name was associated with the feudal society which would become prominent throughout European history. The name would later emerge as a noble family with great influence, having many distinguished branches, and become noted for its involvement in social, economic and political affairs. Chronicles first mention the knight Johann Vossing of Stravenhaven in Mecklenburg around 1260, and the knight Johann Voss was an advisor to Prince Nicolaus von Werle. Hamburg chronicles first mention Heyno Vosseke in 1300.

Early History of the De vos family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our De vos research. Another 255 words (18 lines of text) covering the years 1140, 1603, 1606, 1659, 1660, 1661, 1676, 1729, 1734, 1741, 1786, 1800, 1814 and 1840 are included under the topic Early De vos History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

De vos Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Voss, Vos, Voess, Voessgen (North-Rhine), Vossen (North-Rhine), Vossius (Latin), Vossing, Voessing, Voeske (Hamburg), Vossek and many more.

Early Notables of the De vos family

Prominent bearers of the name De vos at this time were

Simon de Vos (1603-1676), a Flemish Baroque painter of genre and cabinet pictures
Judocus de Vos (1661-1734), a Flemish weaver who produced a large number of tapestries

De vos World Ranking

In the United States, the name De vos is the 12,857^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name De vos is ranked the 663^rd most popular surname with an estimated 7,160 people with that name. 2 And in Netherlands, the name De vos is the 73^rd popular surname with an estimated 12,613 people with that name. 3 South Africa ranks De vos as 943^rd with 7,292 people. 4

De vos migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

De vos Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Andries DeVos, who arrived in New Netherland(s) in 1640 5
Balthasaer DeVos, who arrived in New York in 1662 5
Balthazaer DeVos, who landed in New Netherland(s) in 1662 5
Catherine Renard DeVos, who arrived in New York, NY in 1662 5
Anna DeVos, who landed in New Netherland(s) in 1665 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

De vos Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Pierre Henry Devos, who landed in Louisiana in 1718-1724 5

De vos Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Singis DeVos, aged 6, who landed in New Orleans, La in 1847 5
Auvan DeVos, aged 40, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1847 5
Elias Phillip DeVos, aged 20, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 5
Jacob DeVos, aged 9, who arrived in New Orleans, La in 1847 5
Jan DeVos, aged 45, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 5
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name De vos (post 1700) +

Richard DeVos (1926-2018), American businessman and politician, co-founder of Amway; Forbes ranked him the 60th wealthiest person in the United States, and the 205th richest in the world in 2012 6
Helen June DeVos (1927-2017), née Van Wesep, an American philanthropist and political donor, wife of Richard DeVos
Elisabeth "Betsy" DeVos (b. 1958), née Prince, an American businesswoman, philanthropist, and education activist, 11th United States Secretary of Education (2017-)
Martha DeVos, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1944 6
Margaret DeVos, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Michigan, 1964 6
John Devos, American politician, United Candidate for Michigan State House of Representatives from Wayne County 1st District, 1936 6
Dick DeVos (b. 1955), American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State Board of Education; Elected 1990 6
Cornelis de Vos (1585-1651), Flemish painter

Citations +

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