Vango

This is an extraordinary surname. It has to be described as English, because it has been well recorded in the surviving church registers of the diocese of Greater London, and other English places, since at least the begining of the18th century, nearly three hundred years ago. Furthermore it has retained its original spelling with just occasional lapses into variants such as Vanjo and Vangoe, although these do not seem to have lasted more than one generation. The first known recording is that of Isaac Vango. He appears regularly in the London church registers from May 20th 1711, when he married at St Dunstans in the East, Stepney, for the next twenty years, and it maybe that he is literally 'the father' of the Vango's. The name itself does not appear in any known directory, which suggests that either it is very rare, which it is, or more likely it is a variant form of some other (unidentified) surname. The church of St Dunstans may offer a clue. This was the church of the refugees, at a time when many protestants were fleeing the continent to avoid catholic persecution. Most came from France but some from Germany. Another possible clue is the name Van Goch. Is Vango an 'English' spelling of Van Goch? We dont know, but it was a time when many Dutch came to England.