Surname Voos - Meaning and Origin
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Voos: What does the surname Voos mean?
The last name Voos is believed to be of Germanic origin, and comes from the Old German name ‘Fouf’, meaning ‘four’. In the Low German language, this evolved into Foos, and by the late 15th century into Voos.
This surname is particularly common in Germany, but over time it spread to other parts of Europe, including various Baltic nations such as Lithuania and Latvia. It also traveled across the Atlantic to the United States, first becoming popular in colonial Pennsylvania.
The symbolic meaning behind this name goes back its roots. In medieval-era German culture, the number four was closely associated with safety and steadiness, making the name Foos highly positive and giving it a protective and comforting association.
For this reason, many people believed that having the Foos or Voos surname could bring good luck and was even thought to be a sign of divine blessing. This idea can also be seen in many other surnames that include the word ‘four’, such as Fouracre, Fourceand, Fourman, and Foreman.
The name Voos has an interesting and long history, and conveys a meaningful and positive message about the individual who carries it.
Order DNA origin analysisVoos: Where does the name Voos come from?
The last name Voos is most commonly found in Germany today. In fact, the German state of North Rhine-Westphalia has the highest population of people with the Voos surname. Although the Voos surname is not particularly common, it is still found throughout much of Germany.
The surname Voos is thought to originate from the old Germanic language of Old Low Franconian as well as Dutch. One theory of the origin of the name is that it may derive from the word “vosse,” which means fox. Another theory suggests that the name could be derived from the medieval Germanic word “vosse,” meaning “wood” and/or “forest.”
More recently, the surname Voos has spread to other parts of the world, particularly the United States. In the US, the surname is most commonly found in the states of Pennsylvania, New York, Ohio and Massachusetts.
Overall, the Voos surname is found in most regions of Germany, but its story continues beyond the borders of Germany. Its global presence can be traced back to its roots in Old Low Franconian and Dutch culture, and it has traveled to many other parts of the world.
Variations of the surname Voos
The Voos surname has several variants, spellings, and related surnames that are all of the same origin. Variants of the surname Voos include: Vose, Vaux, Voose, and Voas.
Vose and Vaux are two of the most commonly seen variants of the Voos surname. Vose is an Old English surname believed to have originally been a territorial name derived from the territory of Vaux, situated near Abbeville in France. The Vaux surname is also French in origin, coming from the same original family name.
The spelling variant of the Voos surname, Voose, may be more commonly spelled Vause. This spelling variant is a diminutive of the French surname Vaux or an English form of the French ancestor name Voas.
Related surnames include Voas, Voyce, Vousden, and Vauss. Voas is an old Norman-French name derived from the word ‘va,’ which means ‘from’ in French. The Voyce surname is an English surname derived from Le Vaux family from Normandy. The Vousden surname is a Medieval English surname which was an occupational name for a maker of curtains. Finally, Vauss is a spellling variant of the Norman-French surname Vaux.
Overall, the Voos surname has many variants, spellings, and related surnames that are all of the same origin. Variants of the surname include Vose, Vaux, Voose, and Voas with related surnames being Voas, Voyce, Vousden, and Vauss.
Famous people with the name Voos
- Carina Voos, German football striker
- Diana Voos, Dutch model and actress
- Jon Voos, American contemporary abstract expressionist painter
- Patrick Voos, former professional right-handed pitcher in Major League Baseball
- Kelly Jo Voos, American freestyle swimmer
- Hendrik Voos, Dutch sculptor
- Travis Voos, American soccer player
- Julius Voos, Austro-Hungarian classical violinist
- Joe Voos, American water polo player
- Benjamin Voos, Luxembourgian-American civil engineer, professor, and pioneer in energy conservation