This interesting name is of Flemish (Dutch) origin, and is an occupational surname for a steward, farm manager or bailiff. The name derives from the Dutch word "voogd, voogt", guardian, ultimately of Old Germanic origin from "voget", from the Latin "advocatus", from "advocare", to call up (to help). The term originally described someone who appeared before a court on behalf of a party not permitted to make direct representations; often this was an ecclesiastical body which was not supposed to have any dealings with temporal authorities. The surname is found in the Dutch\Flemish forms of Voogt, Vooght, and Voocht, and is first recorded in Holland at the end of the 16th Century (see below). The christening of Jan Vooght was recorded at Overschie, South Holland, on March 9th 1697, while the first recording of the name in England is in the mid 18th Century, when one Elizabeth Vooght was christened on February 11th 1760 at St. Saviour's, Southwark, London. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Leentie Voogt (marriage to Willem Visser), which was dated April 24th 1591, Poortugaal, South Holland, during the reign of Philip William, Prince of Orange, Stadtholder, 1584 - 1618. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.