Surname Voils - Meaning and Origin

Voils: What does the surname Voils mean?

The surname Voils is believed to be of English origin, however, its exact meaning isn’t definitively known. The difficulty in tracing its etymology arises from the various spellings and interpretations over centuries. It might be a locational surname, indicating a family's geographical origin, perhaps from a place named Voils or similar sounding. It could also be an occupational surname reflecting someone's job. Frequency of the Voils surname is higher in the United States. Like many surnames, its specific meaning could be lost in time as variations in spelling and usage evolved from the original language. Discovering the exact meaning often involves tracing the name through genealogical and historical records.

Voils: Where does the name Voils come from?

The last name Voils is most commonly found in the United States today. In fact, according to a survey by the United States Census Bureau, the most recent statistics show that there are only about 140 people in the nation with that surname. Voils is a fairly uncommon last name, which can be attributed to the fact that it is of French origin. The name is most abundant in the southern states, particularly Louisiana. This can be attributed to the historical French influence in the area that traces back to the original colonists in the early 1700s.

Interestingly, there are also sporadic instances of the Voils name cropping up around the world. For example, Canadian phone directories have listed the name, as well as those of Australia, Nicaragua, and Costa Rica. In the UK, births with the name Voils have been registered since the early 1900s, although the numbers have been in lower ranges.

Other than the United States, portions of French-speaking regions are also likely to have concentrations of the name. Voils is believed to have been brought to the US by French emigrants and then spread within the states through intermarriage and migration. Today, Voils is not found in large amounts anywhere in the world, but it is still present in a few places in an unchanging form.

Variations of the surname Voils

Voils is a surname of British origin. Variants of the surname can include Voil, Voile, Voyles, and Voyll.

The name Voils is thought to have originated from the French root word voile, which means a ‘curtain or veil’. It is speculated that the name may have originated in France but became established in Britain following the Norman conquest of 1066. It is likely that other spellings of the name were adopted in Britain to help further distinguish one family from another.

The surname Voyles is of German-Scandinavian roots, coming from the Old Norse term ‘Voeyla’. This could refer to people who lived near a waterway, like a river or lake, and may have been given the name due to their proximity to the water.

In Elizabethan times, there were two alternative spellings of the name: Voyle and Voille. The former is thought to have originated in the West Midlands of Britain, whereas the latter was likely established in East Anglia, particularly in Lincolnshire and Suffolk county.

The surname Voyll is speculated to have had Gaelic links, with the suggestion of Scottish or Irish origins. Similarly, any families with the surname Voil could have had French ancestry and it is thought to be a more rare form of the name.

Overall, the name Voils and its variants all have unique and varied origins, giving insight into the history of different families.

Famous people with the name Voils

• Matt Voils: an actor and singer whose performances have been seen in The Fault in Our Stars, Sherlock Holmes, and Sherlock Holmes: A Game of Shadows.
• John Voils: a former professional basketball player who is known for his six-year professional career playing in the Continental Basketball Association (CBA).
• Randi Voils: a former American football wide receiver and executive who played for the San Francisco 49ers and Tampa Bay Buccaneers in the National Football League (NFL).
• John Voils III: a former American football player who spent most of his career in the college football ranks as a defensive end for the Oregon Ducks.
• Steve Voils: an Australian rules footballer who played for North Melbourne in the Victorian Football League (VFL).
• Jeff Voils: a former all-star pitcher in Major League Baseball who played for the Houston Astros and St. Louis Cardinals.
• Paul Voils: a former Canadian Football League (CFL) defensive back who played for the Edmonton Eskimos and Saskatchewan Roughriders.
• Jessie Voils: a Canadian professional women’s ice hockey player who plays centre for the Montreal Canadiennes in the Canadian Women’s Hockey League (CWHL).
• Corey Voils: an American defenseman who is currently playing for the Chicago Wolves of the American Hockey League (AHL).
• Richard Voils: a British former professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1990s and 2000s, mostly for Wakefield Trinity and Halifax.

Other surnames

Voiles