Show ContentsBass History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Bass Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Bass

What does the name Bass mean?

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

  • 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

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

Bass migration to Australia +

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" 7
  • Henry Bass, English convict from Buckinghamshire, who was transported aboard the "Argyle" on March 5th, 1831, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 8
  • Samuel Bass, English convict from London, who was transported aboard the "Anson" on September 23, 1843, settling in Van Diemen's Land, Australia 9
  • 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 10
  • 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) 11

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 12
  • Harriet Bass, aged 28, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 12
  • Sarah Bass, aged 4, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Bombay" in 1865 12
  • James Bass, aged 21, a labourer, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waipa" in 1876

Bass migration to Canada +

Bass Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • Hiram Bass, who landed in Canada in 1841

Bass migration to the United States +



Bass Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Samuel Bass, who landed in Braintree, Massachusetts in 1634 13
  • John Bass, who landed in Virginia in 1637 13
  • Mr Bass, who arrived in Virginia in 1638 13
  • William Bass, who landed in Massachusetts in 1638 13
  • Gregory Bass, who landed in Virginia in 1642 13
  • ... (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 13
  • Susan Bass, who landed in Virginia in 1704 13
  • Eliz Bass, who landed in Virginia in 1704 13
  • Thomas Bass, who landed in Virginia in 1714 13
  • William Bass, who landed in Virginia in 1714 13
  • ... (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 13
  • Dettmar Bass, who landed in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1841 13
  • Adriana Bass, aged 25, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 13
  • Abraham Bass, who landed in San Francisco, California in 1851 13
  • Helene Bass, who arrived in America in 1851 13

Contemporary Notables of the name Bass (post 1700) +

  • Colin Bass (b. 1951), English musician, record producer and songwriter
  • William Bass (1717-1787), English founder of the Bass Brewery in 1777
  • Michael Thomas Bass Jr. , (1799-1884), English brewer, politician and philanthropist, son of Michael Thomas Bass, Sr
  • Michael Thomas Bass Sr. (1759-1827), English brewer
  • Michael Arthur Bass (1837-1909), English brewer, politician and philanthropist
  • Alfie Bass (1921-1987), English comedic actor
  • 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
  • ... (Another 17 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
SS Norge
  • Mr. Isidor Leopold Bass (1874-1941), Scottish shoe maker who was a passenger aboard the ship "SS Norge" when she ran aground and sunk on 28th June 1904, he was saved
  • Mr. Edward F. Bass, American Fireman Second Class working aboard the ship "USS Arizona" when she sunk during the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor on 7th December 1941, he survived the sinking 14

Suggested Readings for the name Bass +

  • Ancestors of Moses Belcher Bass, Born in Boston July 1735, Died January 31,1817 by Susan Augusta Smith.
  • A Backwards Glance by Jane Parker McManus.
  1. Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
  2. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  3. 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)
  4. Lewis, Samuel, A Topographical Dictionary of Scotland. Institute of Historical Research, 1848, Print.
  5. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  6. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  7. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 9th December 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/canada
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 5th February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/china
  11. Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 13th March 2022). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/elizabeth-and-henry
  12. New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 7th November 2010). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
  13. 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)
  14. Pearl Harbour: USS Arizona Casualties List Pearl Harbour December 7, 1941. (Retrieved 2018, July 31st). Retrieved from http://pearl-harbor.com/arizona/casualtylist.html

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