Contents [hide]

Voss History Etymology Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Related Stories Citations

Voss History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England
Germany

Etymology of Voss

What does the name Voss mean?

The Voss 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 Voss family

The surname Voss 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 Voss family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Voss 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 Voss History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Voss 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 Voss family

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

Voss Ranking

In the United States, the name Voss is the 1,487^th most popular surname with an estimated 19,896 people with that name. 1

Voss migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Voss Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

John Voss, aged 22, who landed in Virginia in 1635 aboard the ship "Transport" 2
Hans Voss, who arrived in America in 1650 2
Matts De Voss, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1693 2

Voss Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Israel Voss, who landed in Virginia in 1719 2
Bartholomaus Voss, who settled in Philadelphia in 1749
Johan Henrich Voss, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754 2
Jurian Voss, who landed in New York in 1763 2
Johann Voss, who arrived in America in 1776
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Voss Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Joachim Frederick Lewis Voss, who arrived in New York, NY in 1826 2
Elisab Voss, who arrived in North America in 1832-1849 2
Ernst Jacob Voss, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1836 2
Diederich Friederick Voss, aged 27, who landed in St Louis, Missouri in 1840 2
Gerhard Voss, who landed in Ohio in 1845 2
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Voss migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Voss Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Christian Voss went to Canada in 1783 with the Empire Loyalists

Voss Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Friedrich Voss, who landed in Quebec in 1850

Voss migration to Australia +

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

Voss Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Edward Voss, British Convict who was convicted in Surrey, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Batavia" in October 1817, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 3
Mr. John Voss, British Convict who was convicted in Leicester, Leicestershire, England for 7 years, transported aboard the "Coromandel" on 25th June 1838, arriving in Tasmania (Van Diemen's Land) 4

Voss 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:

Voss Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

Johann Voss, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blue Jacket" in 1865
John Voss, who arrived in Lyttelton, New Zealand aboard the ship "Blue Jacket" in 1865

Contemporary Notables of the name Voss (post 1700) +

Gordon Owen Voss (1938-2017), American politician and mechanical engineer
Colonel (USA, Ret.) James Shelton Voss (b. 1949), former NASA astronaut with 201 days in space 5
Janice Voss PH.D. (b. 1956), NASA Astronaut with over 49 days in space
Carl Herman Voss (b. 1910), prominent American clergyman and writer
J. Harm Voss, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Kansas, 1960 6
Grace Voss, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Wyoming, 1952 6
Glenn L. Voss, American Republican politician, Alternate Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1928 6
George W. Voss, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1960 6
George R. Voss, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for U.S. Representative from Michigan 3rd District, 1944 6
George A. Voss, American politician, Member of New York State Assembly from Kings County 9th District, 1907-09 6
... (Another 12 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

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)
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 30th September 2020). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/batavia
Convict Records Voyages to Australia (Retrieved 19th March 2021). Retrieved from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/coromandel
NASA Astronauts Homepage. (Retrieved 2010, September 27) James Voss. Retrieved from http://www.jsc.nasa.gov/Bios/htmlbios/voss-ji.html
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html