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Voyce History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables

United States Australia New Zealand West Indies

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Voyce History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
England

The distinguished surname Voyce is one of the many to have come to England in the wake of the Norman Conquest of 1066. The name is derived from "Voise," the name of a place in the Eure-et-Loir region of France. It is likely that the first bearer of this name in England was one who had emigrated from the village of Voise.

Early Origins of the Voyce family

The surname Voyce was first found in Sussex, where the Voyce family held a family seat from early times. After the Norman Conquest of 1066, King William granted the lands of England to the barons who had served him at the Battle of Hastings; thus, it is likely that the progenitor of the name Voyce was one of these barons who acquired land in the county of Sussex. Early records include John Voyce, who was listed in the Feet of Fines for the County of Sussex during the Reign of Edward IV (ruled 1461-1483); as well as a Thomas Voyce, who was listed in 1379 in the Poll Tax of Yorkshire.

Early History of the Voyce family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Voyce research. Another 155 words (11 lines of text) covering the years 1435, 1647, 1660, 1674 and 1722 are included under the topic Early Voyce History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Voyce Spelling Variations

A multitude of spelling variations characterize Norman surnames. Many variations occurred because Old and Middle English lacked any definite spelling rules. The introduction of Norman French to England also had a pronounced effect, as did the court languages of Latin and French. Therefore, one person was often referred to by several different spellings in a single lifetime. The various spellings include Voice, Voyce, Foyce, Voise, Voyse and others.

Early Notables of the Voyce family

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

Voyce migration to the United States +

Many English families left England, to avoid the chaos of their homeland and migrated to the many British colonies abroad. Although the conditions on the ships were extremely cramped, and some travelers arrived diseased, starving, and destitute, once in the colonies, many of the families prospered and made valuable contributions to the cultures of what would become the United States and Canada. Research into the origins of individual families in North America has revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Voyce or a variant listed above:

Voyce Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Jonathan Voyce, who landed in Virginia in 1638 1

Voyce Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Thomas J. Voyce, aged 30, who landed in America, in 1892

Voyce Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

James Stanley Voyce, aged 27, who immigrated to the United States from Cardiff, Wales, in 1915
Cal Voyce, who settled in America, in 1924

Voyce migration to Australia +

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

Voyce Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Charles Henry Voyce, (b. 1871), aged 20, Cornish settler travelling aboard the ship "Merkara" arriving in Queensland, Australia on 23rd November 1891 2

Voyce 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:

Voyce Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Mr. Henry Voyce, (b. 1863), aged Infant, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Brothers Pride" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 3
Mr. George Voyce, (b. 1835), aged 28, British farm labourer travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Brothers Pride" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 3
Mr. James Voyce, (b. 1838), aged 25, British carpenter travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Brothers Pride" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 3
Mrs. Sarah Voyce, (b. 1838), aged 25, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Brothers Pride" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 3
Mrs. Elizabeth Voyce, (b. 1843), aged 20, British settler travelling from London, UK aboard the ship "Brothers Pride" arriving in Lyttelton, South Island, New Zealand on 8th December 1863 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Voyce migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 4

Voyce Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century

William Voyce, who arrived in Barbados in 1679

Contemporary Notables of the name Voyce (post 1700) +

Inez Ferne Voyce (b. 1924), American All-American Girls Professional Baseball League first basewoman who played from 1946 through 1953
Thomas "Tom" Michael Dunstan Voyce (b. 1981), English rugby union player
Evan Voyce, New Zealand bureaucrat, chief executive of the Broadcasting Standards Authority (2001)
Malcolm Voyce, Australian, Associate Professor at Macquarie University, New South Wales

Citations +

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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_queensland.pdf
New Zealand Yesteryears Passenger Lists 1800 to 1900 (Retrieved 17th October 2018). Retrieved from http://www.yesteryears.co.nz/shipping/passlist.html
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies