Show ContentsVyse History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Vyse surname is thought to be derived from the Old French word "devise," meaning a "dweller at the boundary." It falls into the class of local names, that is, names derived from a place where the original bearer once lived or held land. It is plausible that some bearers of Vyse took the name from one of several places in England: Viza in Ashwater, county Devon, Vyse Wood in Morthoe, county Devon, or Devizes in Wiltshire. 1

Early Origins of the Vyse family

The surname Vyse was first found in Sussex, where Robert atte Vise was recorded in the Subsidy Rolls for that county in the year 1327. A few years later, John de la Vise was listed in Devon in 1330. 1 "Vyse is the name of an old Elstree family. John Vyse was vicar of Willian in the reign of Henry VIII. " 2

Early History of the Vyse family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vyse research. Another 55 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1330, 1601, 1682, 1710, 1741, 1746, 1770, 1784, 1812, 1816, 1825 and 1853 are included under the topic Early Vyse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vyse Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Devise, Vises,Vize, Vise, Vice and others.

Early Notables of the Vyse family

Notable among the family at this time was

  • Richard Vyse (1746-1825), English general, born at Lichfield on 11 July 1746, was the younger son of William Vyse (1710-1770), canon residentiary and treasurer of Lichfield, and younger brother of Wil...
  • Hi son, Richard William Howard Vyse (1784-1853), was a major-general, born on 25 July 1784. He assumed the addition name of Howard by royal sign manual dated 14 Sept. 1812, on inheriting the estates o...


Vyse migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Vyse Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Charles Vyse, who landed in New York, NY in 1841 3
  • Thomas Vyse, who arrived in New York city in 1845
  • Thomas Vyse, who landed in New York in 1845 3
  • John Vyse, who was naturalized in Iroquois Co. IL in 1884
  • John Vyse, who arrived in Iroquois County, Illinois in 1884 3

Vyse migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Vyse Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
  • James Vyse, who was recorded in Toronto in the census of Ontario, Canada of 1871

Contemporary Notables of the name Vyse (post 1700) +

  • Stuart A Vyse, American Associate Professor of Psychology at Connecticut College
  • William Vyse (1741-1816), English canon residentiary and chancellor of Lichfield, son of William Vyse
  • William Vyse (1710-1770), English canon residentiary and treasurer of Lichfield, father of Richard Vyse
  • Ruth Vyse, University of London Archivist from 1994
  • Charles Vyse (1882-1971), English potter from Staffordshire
  • Major-General Richard William Howard Vyse (1784-1853), British soldier, anthropologist, Egyptologist and politician, Member of Parliament for Beverley (1807-1812) and Honiton (1812-1818) 4
  • General Richard Vyse (1746-1825), British general, father of Richard William Vyse


  1. Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
  2. Guppy, Henry Brougham, Homes of Family Names in Great Britain. 1890. Print.
  3. 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)
  4. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 Jan. 2019


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