The Voss surname
In the 2010 U.S. Census, 20,911 people carried this name — #1,719 among all U.S. surnames, about 1 in every 14,100 people counted. That is up 3% from 20,291 in 2000.
What the name means
The meaning of the Voss surname
Surname sense probably from Low German Voss, Voß (“fox”).
From Wiktionary, the free dictionary (en.wiktionary.org) — entry «Voss» (English), by Wiktionary contributors · licensed CC BY-SA 4.0 (creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0) · excerpt, lightly adapted.
In Switzerland’s population statistics
274 people named Voss live in Switzerland.
They live in 17 of Switzerland’s 26 cantons, most of all in Zurich.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
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.
In Argentina’s national register
At least 263 people named Voss 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 Tucumán.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
RENAPER (National Registry of Persons, Argentina), surnames of residents by province, December 2021 — CC BY 4.0.
In Poland’s population register
165 people named Voss have a registered home in Poland.
Of the 245 in Poland’s national register, these are the ones with a permanent address on file. They live in 11 of Poland’s 16 voivodeships, most of all in Kuyavian-Pomeranian.
Where it concentrates, on the mapWhere they live today
PESEL register, Ministry of Digital Affairs of Poland (dane.gov.pl) — CC0 · living people by voivodeship of permanent residence, 20 January 2026.
In Belgium’s population register
At least 117 people named Voss live in Belgium.
Statbel only publishes a name in a municipality when five or more people there share it, so the real number is higher. Most of them live in Liège.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they live today
Statbel (Statistics Belgium), family names of the population by municipality, 1 January 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In France’s civil register
France’s register of deaths holds 107 people named Voss.
38 of them were born outside France. Those born in France came from 13 départements, most often Haut-Rhin.
Too few records to say where it concentrates region by region — these are plain counts, not shares.
Where they were born
Fichier des personnes décédées, INSEE — Licence Ouverte 2.0 · deaths recorded in France since 1970, by place of birth.
In the Nordic population registers
300 people named Voss are counted in Sweden and Finland.
Sweden’s figure is from 31 December 2022, the last count Statistics Sweden published. Finland counts its citizens, at home or abroad.
Counted, by country
Own calculations based on data from Statistics Sweden (SCB), surnames with at least two bearers, 31 December 2022 — CC BY 4.0 (names with 20 or more bearers shown) · Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), Finland, surname statistics, August 2026 — CC BY 4.0.
In print
Voss in American newspapers,
1875–1890.
Chronicling America, Library of Congress — digitised newspapers in the public domain.
Who carried it
People named Voss,
with a public archive behind them.
-
Gerardus Vossius 1577–1649 · writer -
Johann Heinrich Voss 1751–1826 · writer -
Julius von Voss 1768–1832 · writer -
Friederike Voss 1776–1860 · actor -
Charles Voss 1815–1882 · composer
Wikidata and Wikimedia Commons (CC0) · 207 lives in all are documented under this name.
Nearby in the index
Surnames next to Voss.
When the index is not enough
This page says where Voss 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.