Goss
A surname with multiple possible roots, most often explained as a form of the old personal name Gos/Josse, though some sources also connect it with goose-related nicknames or place-names.
The #1,349 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 11,794 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The strongest dictionary evidence treats Goss as a shortened or altered form of an old personal name such as Goce or Josse, ultimately from medieval diminutives like Gocelin or Joscelin. Some older surname writers also connect it with forms meaning “goose” or with local names such as Goes in Holland or Belgium, but those explanations are less certain for the surname in general. In short, Goss is likely to have begun as a descendant of a first name rather than as a direct nickname.
History
Bardsley records medieval and later forms linked to Goss and related surnames such as Goslin and Gosling, showing that the name was established in England by the early 12th century. Later writers note regional appearances in East Anglia and also point to continental place-name influences in some cases, especially in Dutch and Flemish contexts. Because several different surname strands look similar, individual family lines may not share the same origin.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Bardsley cites a very early medieval bearer, Goslinus Dapifer, in a 1109 Lincolnshire record.
From the historical record
“GOSS GoBlin, Gk>aline, Gosling, Gosliiig8,Go88ling,Gostliiig.— Bapt. * the son of Goce* or * Josse,' from dim. Gocelin or JosseUn. In Gosling the g is excrescent ; cf. Rawling, Tomling, Jennings, &c ; V. Goss (a) and Joslin. Goslinus Dapifer, temp. 1109: Lincoln- shire Survey, p. 6.”
— A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames (alternate scan)