Foss
A surname that usually refers to a ditch, fosse, or a place by an old earthwork or waterfall.
The #2,563 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 21,906 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This name is usually linked to Middle English and Old French foss(e), meaning a ditch, trench, or defensive ditch around a fortification. In some northern English contexts, it may also connect with Old Norse foss, meaning a waterfall. As a surname, it could therefore arise either from residence near a ditch or earthwork, or from a place-name built on that older word.
History
Early surname writers in England treated Foss as a local name, often comparing it with forms like Fosse and Fawcett, and with place-names such as Wilberfoss. The spelling has been fairly stable, though historical records also show variants like Fosse and Foes/Foose in some sources. It remains uncommon but is well established in English-speaking countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same old word behind Foss also appears in names tied to Roman roads and earthworks, especially the term Fosse Way.
From the historical record
“cote, a parish co. Somerset. FOSS. FOSSE. The ditch of a fortified place. Conf. De la Fosse, and Ditch. FOSSETT. The same as Fawcett and Forsvth, which see. FOSSEY. A Fosse-way, or ancient forti- fication of earth. FOSTER. Sometimes a contraction of Forester : but tliere is an origin at least”
— Patronymica Britannica: a dictionary of the family names of the United Kingdom