2000
#135,837
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 114
First available Census row
Per 100,000 0.04
Very Rare Last name
Hosse
A surname possibly derived from a German word meaning "ridge" or "mound".
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 128 Americans carry the last name Hosse. That puts it at #147,954 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 2,677,768 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Hosse surname. You will find the Census Bureau frequency data, a multi-census history view, an ancestry and ethnicity breakdown based on self-reported demographics, the name's meaning and origin where available, and answers to the most common questions people ask about this surname.
Bearers in the US
128
1 in 2,677,768
Census rank
#147,954
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
0.0
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
112
very rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 112 bearers of the surname Hosse in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 147954th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Hosse, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Hosse
The surname Hosse has its origins in Germany, tracing back to the Middle Ages. It is believed to have derived from the Old German word "hose," which referred to a type of leggings or stockings worn by men at that time. This name likely originated as a descriptive nickname for someone who wore distinctive or unusual hose.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name appears in the Bavarian town records of Augsburg, dated around 1350, where a man named Hans Hosse is mentioned as a local tradesman. The name also appears in various medieval manuscripts and chronicles from the regions of Bavaria and Franconia.
In the 15th century, a notable figure bearing this surname was Johann Hosse, a scholar and theologian from the city of Nuremberg. He was born in 1428 and gained recognition for his influential writings on religious reforms during the early years of the Protestant Reformation.
The name Hosse was particularly prevalent in the southern regions of Germany, and it is also found in some areas of Switzerland and Austria. In the 16th century, a family with the surname Hosse settled in the Swiss town of Schaffhausen, where they became respected citizens and established a successful business in textile manufacturing.
One of the most prominent individuals with this surname was Georg Hosse, a German composer and organist who lived from 1554 to 1623. He served as the court musician to the Duke of Saxe-Coburg and composed numerous sacred and secular works that were highly regarded during his time.
In the 17th century, the name appears in various historical records from the German states of Hesse and Baden-Württemberg, where families with the surname Hosse were involved in various trades and professions, including agriculture, craftsmanship, and local governance.
Another notable figure was Wilhelm Hosse, a German military officer who fought in the Thirty Years' War (1618-1648). He was born in 1592 and served as a commander in the armies of the Protestant Union, eventually rising to the rank of colonel before his death in battle in 1646.
As the centuries progressed, the name Hosse continued to be found in various regions of Germany, as well as in some parts of neighboring countries where German settlers had established communities. While the surname is not among the most common in Germany, it has a long and storied history, with many individuals bearing this name making notable contributions in various fields throughout the centuries.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Hosse
Among Census respondents with the surname Hosse, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Hosse bearers described their own race and ethnicity on the 2020 Census form. The Census Bureau groups responses into six broad categories: White, Black or African American, Hispanic or Latino, Asian and Pacific Islander, American Indian and Alaska Native, and Two or More Races. When a category has too few respondents for a given surname, the Bureau suppresses the figure to protect individual privacy, which is why some names show fewer than six slices.
Percentages are shown for every Census year so the breakdown stays comparable over time. When the source file also includes raw headcounts, Name Census shows those alongside the percentages in the legend.
Keep in mind that these are self-reported numbers. A person's surname does not determine their race or ethnicity, and the distribution you see here reflects the specific population who happened to carry the Hosse surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White95.5% · 107
- Black or African American3.6% · 4
- Two or more races0.9% · 1
Timeline
Historical Census data for Hosse
Hosse appears in 3 published Census surname files: 2000, 2010, 2020. The cards below show how the name's rank and bearer count changed across each release.
2010
#142,108
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 117
+3 bearers (+2.6%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 6,271 places
2020
#147,954
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 112
-5 bearers (-4.3%)
Per 100,000 0.04
Rank movement Down 5,846 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #135,837 | 114 | 0.04 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #142,108 | 117 | 0.04 | +3 bearers (+2.6%) | Down 6,271 places |
| 2020 | #147,954 | 112 | 0.04 | -5 bearers (-4.3%) | Down 5,846 places |
For 2020, the Census Bureau published race and Hispanic-origin columns as counts rather than percentages. Name Census converts those counts back into shares so the ancestry section stays comparable with the older surname files.
Year on year
2010 vs 2020 Census
How has the Hosse surname changed between Census years? The chart shows bearer count side by side, and the table compares rank, count, and frequency.
Census year comparison
20102020
| Metric | 2010 | 2020 | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #142,108 | #147,954 | -4.1% |
| Count | 117 | 112 | -4.3% |
| Per 100K | 0.04 | 0.04 | -6.3% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Hosse bearers went from 117 to 112 (-4.3% change). The surname moved down 5,846 positions in the national ranking, going from #142,108 to #147,954.
FAQ
Hosse surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Hosse?
Name Census estimates that about 128 living Americans carry the surname Hosse. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 2,677,768 residents.
How common is Hosse?
Hosse ranks #147,954 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Very Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 0.04 per 100,000 residents, which is about 0 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 112 people with the surname Hosse. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (128), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 0.04 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 0.04 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 0 of them to have the surname Hosse.
Has Hosse become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Hosse went from 117 recorded bearers to 112. That is a decrease of 5 (-4.3%). In the national ranking it fell from #142,108 to #147,954.
What does the Census say about the background of Hosse?
Among Census respondents with the surname Hosse, the largest self-reported group is White at 95.5%. The next largest groups are Black (3.6%) and Two or More Races (0.9%). These figures come from the 2020 Census Bureau surname tables, based on how respondents described their own race and ethnicity.
Which group reports this surname most often?
White is the largest self-reported group for the surname Hosse in the 2020 Census, accounting for 95.5% (107 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Hosse appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (95.5%), Black (3.6%), Two or More Races (0.9%). For 2020, the source file also published raw headcounts for each group, which is why this page can show both percentages and counts in the ancestry section.
Is this page using the latest Census data?
Yes. This page is using the latest surname file currently loaded on Name Census, which is 2020. The historical section above also keeps any older Census surname entries we have for Hosse (2000, 2010, 2020).
Does the Census include every surname?
No. The Census Bureau only publishes surnames that appeared at least 100 times in a given decennial Census. That means very rare surnames are excluded entirely, and a surname can appear in one Census release but disappear from a later one if it falls below the reporting threshold.
Why don't the ancestry percentages always add up to exactly 100%?
There are two main reasons: rounding and suppression. The Census Bureau rounds published values, and it may suppress very small cells to protect privacy. For 2020, the Bureau also published raw group counts rather than direct percentages, so Name Census converts those counts back into shares for comparability across census years.
What does Hosse mean?
A surname possibly derived from a German word meaning "ridge" or "mound". The fuller origin note on this page goes into more detail.
Where does the surname data come from?
All surname statistics on Name Census are drawn from the US Census Bureau's decennial surname frequency tables. These files list every surname that appeared 100 or more times in the 2020 Census, along with a count, a per-100,000 rate, and a self-reported demographic breakdown. You can read the full explanation on our methodology page.
How does Name Census estimate living bearers?
For surnames, Name Census does not age cohorts the way it does for first names. Instead, it takes the Census Bureau's published frequency for Hosse (0.04 per 100,000) and applies that rate to the current U.S. resident population to estimate how many living Americans have the surname today.
How many people have the surname Hosse?
For a faster, more casual read, check HowManyOfMe.org — our sister site built around that single question.