Reaney’s Dictionary of British Surnames gives the meaning of Vize as “dweller by the boundary” derived from old French and therefore most likely of Norman origin. The name is therefore thought to be locational and may have derived from one or more places in England. Candidates include Vize, a small hamlet near Ashwater or the former hamlet of Vyse Wood, near Morthoe, both in Devonshire.
The larger and more well-known town and parish of Devizes in Wiltshire is a second candidate. This is a large town and was formerly known as “the Devise “ and later “the Vyse” before the modern name Devizes was settled. Richard of Devizes (fl. late 12th century), an English monk and chronicler[1][2], certainly draws his name from this origin.
The first Vize mentioned in searches to date is named as John de la Vise who reputedly came to England in 1227. Following the Norman invasion of 1066, it was common for settlement of Normans through England over the following 200 years. This John was said to be a friend of The King of England who granted him lands in Wiltshire in the area now known as Devizes. This King would have been Henry III (1216-1272). It was common practice to award lands to faithful Norman subjects and much of the resettlement of England was carried out in this manner.
The Devizes Castle built by Bishop Osmund was a wooden construction based on the motte (mound) and bailey caste design as above. The original structure burned down in 1113 and was replaced by a stone structure between 1113 and 1121 (Devizes Castle, Devizes, Wiltshire).
There is no documentary evidence of this. The name Devizes pre-dates this to 1080 when the Devizes Castle was built by Osmund, Bishop of Salisbury (Wikipedia: Devizes). The castle was located at the boundaries of three manors and becames known as the castrum ad divisas or “castle at the boundaries” (Devizes Castle, Devizes, Wiltshire).
The Vizes would appear to have a Norman origin and the establishment of the township of Devizes appears to pre-date the use of the name, so there may well be a connection of the name to the place, rather than the other way around. As the name appears to be locational, and the early name-holders are widely scattered, there may be several original lines of Vizes. In addition to Devizes, there was a hamlet named Vize near Ashwater in Devon and a Vyse Wood near Morthoe in Devon.
It therefore seems likely that the name has arisen from one more or sources: on being from Devizes, which may or may not be related to the original Norman settlers; one from Normandy; and perhaps others from Devon, which again may or may not be related to the Norman Vizes.
Vice, Vise, Vyce, Vyse, Vyze, Vize and Fice are all accepted variations in spelling for this surname (with or without de-), though some others have also been found in record searches including Vies and Vyes. Vise, Vize and Vyse are the most common spellings, with the exception of Vice/Fice in Devon from the 19th Century.
Surnames of other derivations that may have been recorded as Vize (eg German and Scandinavian) are not covered as there is not likely to be any connection.
[1] http://www.vyse.co.uk/ft.html [2] Richard of Devizes http://www.medievalist.globalfolio.net/eng/r/richard_devizes/index.php