Voight History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

Early Origins of the Voight family

The surname Voight was first found in Brandenburg, where the name emerged in mediaeval times as one of the notable families of the region. From the 13th century the surname was identified with the great social and economic evolution which made this territory a landmark contributor to the development of the nation. They were first found in Hanover where they became nobles of the St Empire in December 1776.

Early History of the Voight family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Voight research. Another 117 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1697, 1791 and 1792 are included under the topic Early Voight History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Voight Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Voight include Voigt, Voigtlander, Voigts, Woyte, Voyte, Voite, Voith, Voit, Woit and many more.

Early Notables of the Voight family

More information is included under the topic Early Voight Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Voight Ranking

In the United States, the name Voight is the 8,982^nd most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1

Voight migration to the United States +

The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from Bavaria who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. For many Bavarian tenant farmers, the chance to own their own land was a major incentive. So the widespread colonization of the United States began in 1650, when many immigrants from Germany settled in pockets in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. In Canada, German settlement centered in Ontario and the prairie Among those of this surname listed in various historical records were:

Voight Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Frederick Daniel Voight, who arrived in Maryland in 1840 2
Mr. Ludwig Voight, aged 40, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Joh. Derhardt"
Mrs. Elisa Voight, aged 38, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Joh. Derhardt"
Mr. Wilhelm Voight, aged 13, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Joh. Derhardt"
Miss Sophia Voight, aged 9, German who arrived in Galveston, Texas in 1845 aboard the ship "Joh. Derhardt"
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Voight 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:

Voight Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Frederic Voight, aged 28, a farm labourer, who arrived in Auckland, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rooparell" in 1874
Mr. Carl Voight, (b. 1836), aged 38, German settler from German y travelling from London aboard the ship "Sussex" arriving in Port Chalmers, Dunedin, Otago, South Island, New Zealand on 17th July 1874 3

Contemporary Notables of the name Voight (post 1700) +

Jonathan Vincent "Jon" Voight (b. 1938), Academy Award-winning American actor and father of Angelina Jolie
John R. Voight, American Democratic Party politician, Alternate Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Indiana, 1912 4
Jack C. Voight (b. 1945), American Republican politician, Wisconsin State Treasurer, 2003-; Delegate to Republican National Convention from Wisconsin, 2008 4
Alvin Voight, American politician, Candidate for Wisconsin State Assembly from Dodge County 1st District, 1938 4
Jack Voight (b. 1945), American politician, former State Treasurer of Wisconsin
Heidi Alice Voight (b. 1982), Miss Connecticut 2006

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)
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 26th March 2019). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 8) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html