This is an "anglicized" variant spelling of the Olde Huguenot name "Vanesse" first recorded in England in the late 17th Century. "Vanesse" itself is a development of "Van Ness" a "Ness" having the same meaning in Olde English and early Dutch-German of a headland or bend in a river. The name development includes Anna Van Ness who married Dirck Malder at St. James, Dukes Place London in 1702, Prisscilla Vanoss, christened at St. James, Clerkenwell, on the 27th December 1705, and Louisa Vanoss christened at St. Mary Le Bone on September 19th 1802. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of John Vanesse, which was dated 1696 christened at St. Dunstans, Stepney, London, during the reign of King William III of Orange and England 1689 - 1702. 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.