2000
#4,707
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 6,882
First available Census row
Per 100,000 2.55
Rare Last name
Koss
A surname of Polish origin, derived from the word "kos," meaning "blackbird" or referring to someone with dark hair.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 5,929 Americans carry the last name Koss. That puts it at #6,323 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 57,810 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Koss 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
5.9K
1 in 57,810
Census rank
#6,323
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
1.7
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
5.2K
rare in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 5,170 bearers of the surname Koss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 6323rd position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Koss, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Koss
The surname KOSS originates from Germany and can be traced back to the early 16th century. It is believed to have derived from the German word "Kosse," which means a smallholder or cotter. The name was initially prominent in the regions of Prussia and Saxony.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the name KOSS can be found in the Prussian Ducal Registry of 1532, where a certain Hans Koss is mentioned as a landowner in the village of Danzig (now Gdansk, Poland). Another early reference is from the Saxon census of 1567, which lists a family by the name of Koss residing in the town of Leipzig.
In the 17th century, the name KOSS appeared in various church records and municipal documents across German states. For instance, Johann Koss (1612-1678), a renowned theologian and author, was born in Breslau (now Wroclaw, Poland) and authored several treatises on Protestant theology.
The 18th century saw the emergence of notable individuals bearing the KOSS surname. One such person was Friedrich Koss (1725-1788), a wealthy merchant and landowner from Berlin, whose estate was recorded in the Prussian Land Registry of 1760.
As the 19th century dawned, the KOSS name continued to spread across Germany and beyond. Karl Koss (1819-1892), a pioneering industrialist from Saxony, established one of the first textile factories in the region and played a significant role in the region's economic development.
Another notable figure was Theodor Koss (1856-1921), a renowned German historian and professor at the University of Leipzig. His seminal work, "The History of Prussia," published in 1896, is still regarded as a valuable resource for understanding the region's past.
In the 20th century, the KOSS surname gained international recognition with the rise of Ralph Koss (1918-2006), an American entrepreneur and inventor. He founded the Koss Corporation in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and is credited with inventing the world's first high-fidelity stereo headphones in 1958.
These are just a few examples of the rich history and notable individuals associated with the surname KOSS. While the name's origins can be traced back to Germany, it has since spread across the globe, carried by generations of individuals who have contributed to various fields and left their mark on history.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Koss
Among Census respondents with the surname Koss, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%).
The bar chart below shows how Koss 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 Koss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White88.4% · 4,572
- Black or African American4.7% · 241
- Hispanic or Latino3.1% · 160
- Two or more races2.4% · 125
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 43
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.6% · 29
Timeline
Historical Census data for Koss
Koss 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
#4,147
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 8,544
+1,662 bearers (+24.1%)
Per 100,000 2.90
Rank movement Up 560 places
2020
#6,323
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 5,170
-3,374 bearers (-39.5%)
Per 100,000 1.73
Rank movement Down 2,176 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #4,707 | 6,882 | 2.55 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #4,147 | 8,544 | 2.90 | +1,662 bearers (+24.1%) | Up 560 places |
| 2020 | #6,323 | 5,170 | 1.73 | -3,374 bearers (-39.5%) | Down 2,176 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 Koss 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 | #4,147 | #6,323 | -52.5% |
| Count | 8,544 | 5,170 | -39.5% |
| Per 100K | 2.90 | 1.73 | -40.4% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Koss bearers went from 8,544 to 5,170 (-39.5% change). The surname moved down 2,176 positions in the national ranking, going from #4,147 to #6,323.
FAQ
Koss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Koss?
Name Census estimates that about 5,929 living Americans carry the surname Koss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 57,810 residents.
How common is Koss?
Koss ranks #6,323 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Rare." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 1.73 per 100,000 residents, which is about 2 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 5,170 people with the surname Koss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (5,929), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 1.73 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 1.73 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 2 of them to have the surname Koss.
Has Koss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Koss went from 8,544 recorded bearers to 5,170. That is a decrease of 3,374 (-39.5%). In the national ranking it fell from #4,147 to #6,323.
What does the Census say about the background of Koss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Koss, the largest self-reported group is White at 88.4%. The next largest groups are Black (4.7%) and Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Koss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 88.4% (4,572 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Koss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (88.4%), Black (4.7%), Hispanic (3.1%). 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 Koss (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 Koss mean?
A surname of Polish origin, derived from the word "kos," meaning "blackbird" or referring to someone with dark hair. 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 Koss (1.73 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 Koss?
For a quick modern estimate, our sister site HowManyOfMe.org answers that in one glance, with the living-bearer count front and centre.