2000
#1,618
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,291
First available Census row
Per 100,000 7.52
Uncommon Last name
Voss
A topographic surname derived from the Norwegian word "foss," meaning waterfall or rapid.
According to the 2020 US Census Bureau surname tables, roughly 23,543 Americans carry the last name Voss. That puts it at #1,709 in the national surname ranking, appearing at a frequency of 6.87 per 100,000 people (about 1 in 14,559 residents).
This page is the full Name Census profile for the Voss 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.
For British records, Name Census UK has a British surname profile for Voss with 1881 census detail, origin facts and modern UK distribution where available.
Bearers in the US
24K
1 in 14,559
Census rank
#1,709
2020 decennial data
Per 100,000
6.9
Frequency rate
Recorded bearers
21K
uncommon in the US
Popularity narrative
The Census Bureau recorded 20,531 bearers of the surname Voss in its 2020 decennial surname file. At a rate of 6.87 per 100,000 residents, it holds the 1709th position in the national surname ranking.
Among Census respondents with the surname Voss, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
Origin
Meaning and origin of Voss
The surname Voss originated in Germany and is believed to date back to the 12th century. It is derived from the German word "vos," which means "fox." The name was likely initially used as a nickname for someone who was considered cunning or sly, like a fox.
One of the earliest recorded instances of the Voss surname can be found in the Codex Diplomaticus, a collection of medieval charters and documents from the region of Saxony, Germany. In a document dated 1221, a man named "Heinricus Vos" is mentioned, indicating that the name was in use during that time period.
The Voss surname can also be traced back to various place names in Germany, such as the town of Voss in Lower Saxony. It is possible that some individuals adopted the surname based on their place of origin or residence.
In the 15th century, a notable figure named Johann Voss (1437-1505) was a German theologian and humanist scholar. He is known for his contributions to the study of classical literature and his translations of Greek and Latin texts.
Another prominent individual with the Voss surname was Johann Heinrich Voss (1751-1826), a German poet, and translator. He is best known for his translation of Homer's Iliad and Odyssey into German hexameter verse, which was highly acclaimed and influential in its time.
In the 18th century, Isaac Voss (1718-1789) was a Dutch philologist and classical scholar. He is remembered for his critical editions of various Greek and Latin texts, including works by Virgil, Horace, and Cicero.
Gerrit Voss (1638-1699) was a Dutch Golden Age painter known for his still-life paintings, particularly those depicting vanitas themes and symbolic representations of the transience of life.
Johann Heinrich Voss (1751-1826), mentioned earlier, had a son named Abraham Voss (1784-1847), who was also a German poet and playwright. He is best remembered for his comedies and satirical works, which often criticized social and political issues of the time.
Demographics
Ancestry and ethnicity for Voss
Among Census respondents with the surname Voss, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%).
The bar chart below shows how Voss 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 Voss surname at the time of the 2020 Census, not any inherent property of the name itself.
- White90.7% · 18,622
- Two or more races2.9% · 602
- Hispanic or Latino2.9% · 590
- Black or African American2.3% · 479
- Asian and Pacific Islander0.8% · 155
- American Indian and Alaska Native0.4% · 83
Timeline
Historical Census data for Voss
Voss 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
#1,719
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,911
+620 bearers (+3.1%)
Per 100,000 7.09
Rank movement Down 101 places
2020
#1,709
National surname rank
Recorded bearers 20,531
-380 bearers (-1.8%)
Per 100,000 6.87
Rank movement Up 10 places
| Year | Rank | Count | Per 100K | Count change | Rank change |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2000 | #1,618 | 20,291 | 7.52 | First available Census row | First available Census row |
| 2010 | #1,719 | 20,911 | 7.09 | +620 bearers (+3.1%) | Down 101 places |
| 2020 | #1,709 | 20,531 | 6.87 | -380 bearers (-1.8%) | Up 10 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 Voss 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 | #1,719 | #1,709 | 0.6% |
| Count | 20,911 | 20,531 | -1.8% |
| Per 100K | 7.09 | 6.87 | -3.1% |
Between the 2010 and 2020 Census, the number of Voss bearers went from 20,911 to 20,531 (-1.8% change). The surname moved up 10 positions in the national ranking, going from #1,719 to #1,709.
FAQ
Voss surname: questions and answers
How many people in the U.S. have the surname Voss?
Name Census estimates that about 23,543 living Americans carry the surname Voss. Using the current population baseline, that works out to roughly 1 in 14,559 residents.
How common is Voss?
Voss ranks #1,709 in the 2020 Census surname tables and is classified on this site as "Uncommon." The Census recorded the name at a frequency of 6.87 per 100,000 residents, which is about 7 people out of every 100,000.
How many people with this surname were counted in the Census?
The raw 2020 Census file counted 20,531 people with the surname Voss. That is different from the site's living-bearer estimate (23,543), which projects the surname's present-day count by applying the Census frequency rate to the current U.S. population.
What does 6.87 per 100,000 actually mean?
It is the Census Bureau's normalized frequency measure. A rate of 6.87 per 100,000 means that if you picked a random group of 100,000 U.S. residents, you would expect about 7 of them to have the surname Voss.
Has Voss become more or less common over time?
Between 2010 and 2020, the surname Voss went from 20,911 recorded bearers to 20,531. That is a decrease of 380 (-1.8%). In the national ranking it rose from #1,719 to #1,709.
What does the Census say about the background of Voss?
Among Census respondents with the surname Voss, the largest self-reported group is White at 90.7%. The next largest groups are Two or More Races (2.9%) and Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Voss in the 2020 Census, accounting for 90.7% (18,622 people in the source table).
What is the full ancestry breakdown?
Voss appears across multiple self-reported groups in the Census data. The largest shares in the 2020 file are White (90.7%), Two or More Races (2.9%), Hispanic (2.9%). 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 Voss (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 Voss mean?
A topographic surname derived from the Norwegian word "foss," meaning waterfall or rapid. 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 Voss (6.87 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 common is the surname Voss?
Find out how many people have the surname Voss on our sister site HowManyOfMe.org — a quick modern estimate with the living-bearer count front and centre.