Surname Feese - Meaning and Origin

Feese: What does the surname Feese mean?

Feese is a unique surname with uncertain origins. Not seen commonly, it may have derived from a profession, a descriptive nickname, or a geographic location where an ancestor lived. Several conjectures can be made about its origin.

One possibility is that it's a variation of the German surname Fuchs, which means "fox", used as a nickname for a cunning or clever person. Another possibility is linking it to the English surname "Fees", which might be related to Norman French roots and indicates a person who worked as a bailiff (the collector of the lord's various dues).

Another theory might suggest its derivative from the Dutch surname "Vries", which means 'a Frisian,' referring to an inhabitant of Friesland, a province in the Netherlands.

However, without comprehensive genealogical research, it's hard to state the exact origin and meaning with certainty. Most importantly, surnames often evolved over centuries, potentially being subjected to changes in spelling and interpretation. On a concluding note, the interpretation can differ remarkably based on the cultural, historical, and geographical contexts.

Feese: Where does the name Feese come from?

The last name Feese is generally seen as having Germanic or Dutch roots. Though the family name was often associated with the area around the Rhine River in the 17th and 18th centuries, it is now quite common throughout the United States. It is concentrated in the Midwest and the South, but some Feese family members can also be found in the Northwest and Northeast as well. As of the 2020 US Census, nearly 34,000 people use the last name Feese in the US.

In terms of Germanic or Dutch ancestry, anyone with the last name Feese can trace their family tree back to what is now Germany, the Netherlands, Sweden, Norway, and Denmark. This is especially true in large urban centers where waves of European immigrants set down roots in the 19th and 20th centuries, bringing their family names with them.

Many Feese family members have also made the trip to the New World since the 1700s and begun new branches of the family, making their name common throughout the United States and beyond. The same migration of Europeans also gave rise to the Feese surname in parts of Canada, the Caribbean, and South America.

Variations of the surname Feese

The surname Feese is an English patronymic surname of the early medieval period that likely derived from the Norman personal name Fésel. This name is a diminutive form of the Old French name 'Fése', a variant of 'Fêse', which is a compound of the Germanic elements 'faro', meaning 'journey' and 'swithan', meaning 'strong'. Variants of this surname include Fese, Feese, Fisse, Fices, Fiesse, Fyce, and Ficess.

Other spellings of this surname include Feiss, Fies, Fyce, Fices, Fesse, Fise, and Ficse. Additionally, Feese is a variant of the Dutch and German surname Fisse.

Surnames of similar origin to Feese include Feasey, Fisee, Feasby, Feazey, Feasley, Fese, Fisby, Fize, Feesey, and Faas.

The Feese surname is not particularly common in the United States, but appears equally in England, Scotland, and Ireland. The highest concentrations of the Feese surname are currently in the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand; however, due to immigration in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the surname is now present in many other countries.

Famous people with the name Feese

• Catherine Feese, astrophysicist
• Steve Feese, professional marathon runner
• Baron Feese, former German athlete
• Anna Feese, German ski jumper
• Doug Feese, former NFL and AFL football player
• Joe Feese, MLB pitcher
• Bruce Feese, former MLB pitcher
• Dorothy Ann Feese, Austrian-Dutch actress
• Frank Feese, lawyer and former ambassador
• Jacob Feese, banker
• Jack Feese, former NCAA football player
• Jim Feese, professional golfer
• Julie Feese, former American soccer player
• Lance Feese, American lawyer
• Paul Feese, former legislator for the state of Oregon
• Richard Feese, politician
• Sam Feese, college basketball coach
• Scott Feese, former NCAA baseball player and coach
• Tyler Feese, former Canadian ice hockey player
• Whitney Feese, former model

Other surnames

FeesFeesenmayrFeesenmeyerFeest