The Goss surname

In the 2010 U.S. Census, 26,179 people carried this name — #1,349 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 11,300 people counted. That is up 3% from 25,464 in 2000.

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What the name means

The meaning of the Goss surname

As an English surname, spelling variant of Gosse.

From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Goss» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.

As an English and Welsh surname

Bardsley classes it as a nickname: ‘the goose’ — the first of the origins he gives.

An early record he cites: Isabel le Gous, Cambridgeshire, 1273 — Hundred Rolls.

His entry covers Goss and Gosse.

From Charles W. Bardsley, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames, with Special American Instances (London: Henry Frowde, 1901), p. 330 · public domain.

In Poland’s population register

637 people named Goss have a registered home in Poland.

Of the 739 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 13 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Łódź.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Where they live today

Łódź 344
Masovian 130
Silesian 25
Kuyavian-Pomeranian 24
Lesser Poland 15
Pomeranian 15
Lubusz 14
Warmian-Masurian 14

PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.

In Argentina’s national register

At least 92 people named Goss live in Argentina.

RENAPER only publishes a name in a province when more than ten people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in La Pampa.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

La Pampa 32
Buenos Aires Province 31
Santa Fe 29

RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.

In France’s civil register

France’s register of deaths holds 33 people named Goss.

7 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 9 départements, most often Bouches-du-Rhône.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they were born

Born outside France 7
Bouches-du-Rhône 9
Bas-Rhin 5
Loiret 3
Var 3
Pyrénées-Orientales 2
Moselle 1
Vaucluse 1
Hauts-de-Seine 1

Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.

In Switzerland’s population statistics

24 people named Goss live in Switzerland.

They live in 5 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Vaud.

Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.

Where they live today

Vaud 6
Zurich 6
Bern 5
Lucerne 4
Aargau 3

Swiss Federal Statistical Office (FSO), «Surnames of the permanent resident population by canton», 2025, opendata.swiss/en/dataset/nachnamen-der-standigen-wohnbevolkerung-nach-kanton3 · names with fewer than 3 bearers in a canton are not published.

Among the farmers of England and Wales, 1880s

Goss was found among the farmers of 2 counties.

It was most frequent in Buckinghamshire: 20 in every 10,000 farmers there — about 1 in 500. Guppy counted the farmers listed in each county’s directory and recorded a name only where it reached about 7 in every 10,000; where it does not appear, it was rarer than that, not absent.

Where it concentrates, on the map

Per 10,000 farmers, by county

Buckinghamshire 20
Devon 11

H. B. Guppy, «Homes of Family Names in Great Britain» (London, 1890), alphabetical list of English and Welsh names — public domain · farmers in Kelly’s Post Office Directories of the 1880s, per 10,000 farmers in each county.

In the first U.S. census, 1790

80 families named Goss, or a close spelling, were counted in 1790.

Each family is counted by its head. About 458 people lived in those households, 5.7 to a family on average. The table counts it together with 5 other spellings. The table lists white heads of families only, in the twelve states whose 1790 records survive; Virginia’s figures come from state lists of 1782–1785.

Families, by state

New Hampshire 17
Massachusetts 16
North Carolina 15
Pennsylvania 14
Vermont 7
South Carolina 4
Maine 2
Connecticut 2
New York 2
Maryland 1

U.S. Census Bureau, «A Century of Population Growth from the First Census of the United States to the Twelfth, 1790–1900» (Washington, 1909), table 111, p. 242 — public domain · names carried by at least 100 white persons in 1790.

In print

Goss in American newspapers,
1874–1880.

Newspaper page from Press And Daily Dakotaian carrying the name Goss
Press And Daily Dakotaian 1880-06-04
Newspaper page from The Cincinnati Daily Star carrying the name Goss
The Cincinnati Daily Star 1880-06-01
Newspaper page from Der Deutsche Correspondent carrying the name Goss
Der Deutsche Correspondent 1874-12-18

Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain · 146,181 pages in all carry the name.

In print

Goss in Australian newspapers,
1820s–2000s.

24,715 articles name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Goss. The most, 4,872, date from the 1930s. South Australia has the most articles, but weighed against how much of each state’s press from the same decades has been digitised, the name stands out most in Tasmania, at 3.4 times its expected share.

Articles, by state

South Australia 5,892
Tasmania 4,924
Victoria 3,900
New South Wales 3,170
Western Australia 3,107
Queensland 2,681
ACT (Canberra) 969
Northern Territory 30

Trove, National Library of Australia (trove.nla.gov.au) · articles in its digitised newspapers that name a Mr, Mrs or Miss Goss.

Who carried it

People named Goss,
with a public archive behind them.

  • John Goss
    John Goss 1800–1880 · composer
  • John Goss
    John Goss 1800–1880 · composer
  • James H. Goss
    James H. Goss 1820–1886 · politician
  • James H. Goss
    James H. Goss 1820–1885 · politician
  • Elbridge Henry Goss
    Elbridge Henry Goss 1830–1908 · politician
  • William Calvin Goss d. 1923 · writer

Wikidata (CC0) · portraits via Wikimedia Commons, shown cropped, in the public domain or CC0 · 10 lives in all are documented under this name.

In the public record

People named Goss,
in the records of 8 countries.

Soldiers, farmers, migrants and neighbours who carried the name and left a trace in public archives. Everyone shown here died long ago or was born more than a century ago.

United States2,296 records

2,296 records of the Goss name in the United States
  • U.S. Army enlistment records, World War II 911
  • New York City birth, marriage and death certificates 410
  • Other U.S. records 975
  1. Names engraved on the Vietnam Veterans Memorial, Washington, D.C.
    Example: U.S. war memorial
    War record Jack Eugene Goss

    Born 1947; from Springfield, Missouri. U.S. Marine Corps, rifleman; killed in action 1967 in Quang Tin, South Vietnam. Buried at Springfield National Cemetery, Missouri.

    U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  2. A United States Selective Service registration card, 1942
    Example: U.S. registration card, 1942
    Military record Chester L. Goss

    Born 1898 in Arkansas. Enlisted 1942 at Little Rock; telephone operator from Washington County. Veteran of World War II; died 1955, buried at Fayetteville National Cemetery, Arkansas.

    U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain); U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Marie Goss

    Arrived at New York in 1852 aboard the Lancashire from Havre, aged 20; farmer. From Bavaria, Germany; bound for New York.

    U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted)

Showing 3 of 2,296 records for Goss in the United States.

Counts: U.S. National Archives, WWII Army Enlistment Records (public domain) · NYC Department of Records & Information Services, Historical Vital Records (NYC Open Data) · U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, Gravesite Locator (CC0) · U.S. National Archives, Castle Garden Immigration Center Collection, Ship Passenger Records (unrestricted) · U.S. National Archives, Flexoline Index Data File (public domain) · New York State Department of Health, Genealogical Research Death Index · U.S. National Archives, Famine Irish Passenger Records (public domain) · U.S. National Archives, Defense Casualty Analysis System (public domain) · Sacramento County, Historic Burials (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Vietnam Veterans Memorial, photo by U.S. Army Sgt. 1st Class Michael J. Carden, 2009 (public domain); U.S. Selective Service registration card, 1942 (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Australia1,267 records

1,267 records of the Goss name in Australia
  • Tasmanian Names Index 637
  • Victoria passenger lists, 1839–1923 386
  • Other Australian records 244
  1. An 1829 etching of convicts being rowed out to the prison ship York in Portsmouth Harbour
    Pictured: convicts going on board a prison ship, 1829
    Transportation record Joseph Goss

    Transported to Van Diemen's Land aboard the Emerald Isle, sailing from Sheerness in 1843. Native of Wombwell, Yorkshire. Applied for permission to marry in Van Diemen's Land in 1849.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A petition to the probate court of St. Louis, 1848
    Example: probate petition, 1848
    Probate record Mary Ann Goss

    Died 1887 in Campbell Town, Tasmania, aged 35. Will registered in Tasmania in 1887.

    Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record Thomas R. Goss

    Arrived in Victoria in 1854 aboard the Fulwood, aged 25; English.

    Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 1,267 records for Goss in Australia.

Counts: Libraries Tasmania, Tasmanian Names Index (CC BY 4.0) · Public Record Office Victoria (CC BY 4.0) · Queensland State Archives (CC BY 4.0) · Museums of History NSW – State Archives Collection (CC BY) · State Library of Western Australia (CC BY 4.0) · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Prison-ship in Portsmouth Harbour, with the convicts going on board, etching by Edward William Cooke, 1829, Royal Museums Greenwich (public domain); Petition to the probate court, St. Louis, 1848, Missouri Historical Society (public domain); Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain).

Germany186 records

186 records of the Goss name in Germany
  • Germany's First World War casualty lists, 1914–1919 169
  • German applications to settle and marry 15
  • German emigration and citizenship files 2
  1. A page of the German First World War casualty lists, 18 April 1918
    Example: German casualty list, 1918
    Casualty list Emil Goß

    Born 1883; from Frankfurt a. M. Reported missing in the Prussian casualty list of 3 November 1916; then reported wounded in the list of 2 January 1917 (Reserve Infantry Regiment No. 66).

    Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0)
  2. The first page of an emigration file from Gündlingen, Baden, 1883
    Example: German emigration file, 1883
    Emigration record Katharina Goß

    Left Bühl for North America in 1832.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg (CC0)
  3. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Joseph Goß

    Named in an application to settle and marry at Bergstetten in 1852; journeyman carpenter.

    Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek / Staatsarchiv Amberg (CC0)

Showing 3 of 186 records for Goss in Germany.

Counts: Verein für Computergenealogie e.V. (2026). Deutsche Verlustlisten des Ersten Weltkriegs – Datensammlung (Version 1.0), DOI 10.5281/zenodo.18330751 (CC0) · Deutsche Digitale Bibliothek (CC0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Deutsche Verlustlisten, Prussian list 1116, 18 April 1918 (scan via Wikimedia Commons, CC BY 3.0); Emigration file, Gündlingen, 1883, Landesarchiv Baden-Württemberg, Staatsarchiv Freiburg B 694/1 Nr. 1389 (CC BY 4.0); Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain).

Canada125 records

125 records of the Goss name in Canada
  • Nova Scotia Archives name indexes 49
  • City of Calgary cemetery records 43
  • Other Canadian records 33
  1. A passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, arriving at New York in 1903
    Example: passenger manifest, 1903
    Passenger record James Goss

    Came to Ontario in 1874 aboard the Quebec, bound for Orillia, Ontario; English.

    Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario.
  2. Fairview Lawn Cemetery in Halifax, Nova Scotia
    Example: Canadian cemetery
    Burial record Ruby Pauline Goss

    Buried in 1962 at Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, Nova Scotia, aged 68.

    Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax.
  3. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Death record Joseph Goss

    Died 1947 in Stellarton, Pictou, Nova Scotia.

    Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia.

Showing 3 of 125 records for Goss in Canada.

Counts: Nova Scotia Archives. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Nova Scotia. · City of Calgary. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – City of Calgary. · Veterans Affairs Canada. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence - Canada. · City of Vancouver. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Vancouver. · Halifax Regional Municipality. Contains information licenced under the Open Government Licence—Halifax. · City of Winnipeg. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Winnipeg. · National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · Archives of Ontario. Contains information licensed under the Open Government Licence – Ontario. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Passenger manifest of the S.S. St. Paul, New York, 1903 (public domain); Fairview Lawn Cemetery, Halifax, photo by Edgar El (CC BY 3.0); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

United Kingdom26 records

26 records of the Goss name in the United Kingdom
  • War Office casualty lists, 1917–1919, among the dead 25
  • St James's burial ground, Euston (London), 1789–1853 1
  1. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record L. S. Goss

    Corporal, Royal Flying Corps. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  2. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record A. W. Goss

    Bedfordshire Regiment. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)
  3. A First World War roll of honour of the staff of C. & E. Morton Ltd
    Example: roll of honour, 1914–1919
    War record W. Goss

    King's Own Scottish Borderers. Listed among the dead in the War Office casualty list of 1918.

    National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain)

Showing 3 of 26 records for Goss in the United Kingdom.

Counts: National Library of Scotland, War Office Weekly Casualty Lists (public domain) · MOLA and HS2, St James's burial ground data. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Example pages, not the records of the people shown: C. & E. Morton Ltd roll of honour, 1914–1919, photo by Adrian S Pye via Geograph (CC BY-SA 2.0).

France17 records

17 records of the Goss name in France France's national death register, 1970–2001
  1. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Paulette Jeanne Goss

    Born 1921 in Marseille; died 1997 in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  2. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Gerard Joseph Emile Goss

    Born 1906 in Le Boulou; died 1992 in Le Boulou (Pyrénées-Orientales).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)
  3. A page of the death register of Nice, 1930
    Example: French death register, 1930
    Death record Marcelle Fernande Goss

    Born 1919 in Marseille; died 1982 in Marseille (Bouches-du-Rhône).

    Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte)

Showing 3 of 17 records for Goss in France.

Counts: Insee, Fichier des personnes décédées (Licence Ouverte). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Death register of Nice, 1930, Archives départementales des Alpes-Maritimes (public domain).

New Zealand13 records

13 records of the Goss name in New Zealand
  • Christchurch City cemetery records 12
  • Marlborough District cemetery records 1
  1. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record George Malcolm Goss

    Died 1981, aged 72; buried at Waimairi Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Gertrude Maud Goss

    Died 1949, aged 79; buried at Bromley Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)
  3. A page of the burial register of Newtown, Wales, 1858
    Example: burial register, 1858
    Burial record Sarah Goss

    Died 1872, aged 42; buried at Addington Cemetery, Christchurch, Canterbury.

    Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 3 of 13 records for Goss in New Zealand.

Counts: Christchurch City Council (CC BY 4.0) · Marlborough District Council (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Burial register of Newtown, Montgomeryshire, 1858, National Library of Wales (CC0).

Netherlands6 records

6 records of the Goss name in the Netherlands
  • Dutch population registers 4
  • Dutch civil registers (births, marriages, deaths) 1
  • Dutch church registers before 1811 1
  1. A marriage entry in the civil register of Tilburg, 1911
    Example: marriage register, 1911
    Marriage record Lucia Goss

    Married in 1934 in Middelburg.

    Open Archives, Zeeuws Archief (CC BY 4.0)
  2. A page of the Berlin civil register, 1880
    Example: civil register, 1880
    Civil record Anthoni Goss

    Baptised in 1639 in Amersfoort.

    Open Archives, Het Utrechts Archief (CC BY 4.0)

Showing 2 of 6 records for Goss in the Netherlands.

Counts: Open Archives (CC BY 4.0). Example pages, not the records of the people shown: Marriage register, Tilburg, 1911, Regionaal Archief Tilburg (public domain); Civil register, Berlin, 1880, Landesarchiv Berlin (CC0).

Nearby in the index

Surnames next to Goss.

When the index is not enough

This page says where Goss is.
A volume says what happened to it.

Every page in the index is free and stays free. The Heritage Volume is the long form: the full paper trail, the arms, the crossing — bound, and yours.

See the Goss volume
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