Find out how popular the last name Hoss is in the United States and learn more about the meaning, history, and race and ethnic origin of people in America who are named Hoss.

Hoss, like all of the last names we have data for, is identified by the U.S. Census Bureau as a surname which has more than 100 occurrences in the United States in the Decennial Census survey. The most recent statistics we have for the Hoss surname is from the 2010 census data.

Popularity of Hoss in America

Hoss is the 10565th most popular name in America based on the data we have collected from the U.S. Census Bureau.

The Hoss surname appeared 3,033 times in the 2010 census and if you were to sample 100,000 people in the United States, approximately 1 people would have the surname Hoss.

We can also compare 2010 data for Hoss to data from the previous census in 2000. The table below contains all of the statistics for both years in a side-by-side comparison.

The history of the last name Hoss

The surname Hoss is of German origin and dates back to the late 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the Middle High German word "hose," which referred to a type of close-fitting trousers or leggings worn by men during that time period. The earliest recorded instances of the name appear in various regions of present-day Germany, particularly in the southern and central areas.

One of the earliest documented mentions of the Hoss surname can be found in the baptismal records of St. Peter's Church in Nuremberg, dating back to 1589. The name appears as "Hans Hoss," suggesting that it may have initially been an occupational surname given to individuals involved in the production or selling of hose garments.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, the Hoss name appeared in various historical records across Germany, including tax registers, property deeds, and military rolls. Notable individuals bearing this surname during this time period include Johann Hoss (1624-1688), a prominent merchant and landowner in the city of Freiburg, and Hans Michael Hoss (1712-1786), a respected theologian and author from Heidelberg.

As the centuries progressed, the Hoss surname spread beyond Germany's borders, with some variations in spelling emerging, such as Hosse, Hosser, and Hossler. One notable example is Johann Georg Hossfeld (1784-1856), a German-American farmer and pioneer who settled in Pennsylvania in the early 19th century and whose descendants adopted the anglicized spelling "Hossfeld."

In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, several individuals with the Hoss surname achieved recognition in various fields. These include Hermann Hoss (1850-1924), a German architect known for his work on several notable buildings in Berlin, and Friedrich Hoss (1879-1957), a German botanist and explorer who conducted expeditions in South America and the Pacific Islands.

Another notable figure was Rudolph Hoss (1900-1947), the former commandant of the Auschwitz concentration camp during World War II, who was tried and convicted of war crimes after the war. While a tragic figure, his notoriety further contributed to the recognition of the Hoss surname on a global scale.

Race and ethnic origin of people with the last name Hoss

We also have some data on the ancestry of people with the surname Hoss.

The below race categories are the modified race categories used in the Census Bureau's population estimates program. All people were categorized into six mutually exclusive racial and Hispanic origin groups:

1. White only
2. Black only
3. American Indian and Alaskan Native only
4. Asian and Pacific Islander only
5. Hispanic
6. Two or More Races

For the most recent 2010 census data, the race/ethnic origin breakdown for Hoss was:

Note: Any fields showing (S) means the data was suppressed for privacy so that the data does not in any way identify any specific individuals.

Since we have data from the previous census in 2000, we can also compare the values to see how the popularity of Hoss has changed in the 10 years between the two census surveys.

Data source

The last name data and ethnic breakdown of last names is sourced directly from the Decennial Census survey, conducted every 10 years by the United States Census Bureau.

The history and meaning of the name Hoss was researched and written by our team of onomatology and genealogy experts.

If you have a correction or suggestion to improve the history of Hoss, please contact us.

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