Vance Surname Meaning & Origin
What the Vance last name means, where the surname began and how it spread.
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Meaning and origin of the Vance last name
Meaning of the Vance last name: of the valleys. Vance comes from the Norman name de Vaux, "of the valleys". Norman families of the name settled in England and Scotland, and a branch was established in Galloway. The last name spread from southwest Scotland to Ulster, especially Donegal and Antrim. A curious detail of this surname origin: Ulster-Scots emigrants carried Vance to Pennsylvania, Virginia and Appalachia, where it is now well known.
Arms associated with the Vance name
Coats of arms associated with the Vance surname belong to the heraldry of the Norman de Vaux families of Scotland, whose blazon traditions travelled with them to Ulster.
Get your full Vance family history
This is only a glimpse of the Vance story. The full Vance history report goes much deeper into where the name began, who carried it and how the family spread, and it comes with a museum-style painted Vance coat of arms. Get the full Vance report.
Vance name FAQ
What does the Vance name mean?
Of the valleys. Common variants include Vans, Vaux, Vaus.
Where does the Vance surname come from?
It originates in Northern Ireland, and is also found in the United States, Scotland and England.
Is there a Vance coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals rather than to everyone with a surname. Herald Lab paints a personalized Vance coat of arms in museum style, based on historic heraldry.
Sources: George F. Black, The Surnames of Scotland (New York Public Library, 1946); MacLysaght, The Surnames of Ireland; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford).