Van Ness
A Dutch surname meaning “from Nes,” referring to someone from a place called Nes.
The #7,736 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 71,952 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally explained as a Dutch locational name from van Nes, meaning “from Nes.” In Dutch, van means “of” or “from,” and Nes is a place-name found in the Netherlands. The name would originally have identified someone who came from, or lived near, such a place.
History
The form is found in Dutch-American family lines and in Anglicized spellings such as Van Ness and Van Nest. Early surname writers treated Vanness and Vannest as variants of the same Dutch source. In North America, the surname became established through Dutch settlement and later spelling variation in English records.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The element van in Dutch surnames is very common and usually just means “from” rather than indicating nobility.
From the historical record
“Vanderheyden, Of the heath, or Of ter Heide. Vander- WERKEN, Of the Werhen. Vande water, Of the water. Van- GELDER, Of Gelderland. Vanness and Vannest, the same as van Nes, q. v. Vanolinda, Van der linden, Of the lime-trees. In Holland, the above prefixes are very rarely joined to the name. VANE ((g.), Wan, Pale ?…”
— Surnames