Vossen

Vossen is a Dutch patronymic surname meaning "son of Vos." The root name Vos derives from the Frisian Fos, which itself originates from Old German personal names beginning with the element folk meaning "people." Other sources suggest an alternative, more literal Germanic connection: from fos meaning "fox." The name is primarily found in Belgian and Dutch Limburg.

Notable Bearers

Notable individuals bearing the surname Vossen include Jelle Vossen (born 1989), a Belgian footballer who played for clubs such as Genk, Club Brugge, and Middlesbrough; Piek Vossen (born 1960), a Dutch academic specializing in computational linguistics; Peter van Vossen (born 1968), a Dutch former professional footballer; and Elli Vossen, the pseudonym of Bep Voskuijl (1919–1983), a Dutch secretary who helped conceal Anne Frank during World War II. Other figures include Michael Vosse (1941–2014), an American music journalist; Vincent Vosse (born 1972), a Belgian race car driver; Stephan Cohn-Vossen (1902–1936), a German mathematician; and Benjamin Shaw Van Vossen (born 2008), a Taiwanese academic.

Further Reading

• Meaning: Patronym – "son of Vos"; derived from Old German folk or possibly fos (fox)
• Origin: Dutch
• Type: Surname
• Primary Regions (Netherlands): Limburg, northern Netherlands (via Frisian roots)
• Related Surnames: Vos