Contents [hide]

Foss History Early Origins Early History Spelling Variations Early Notables Ranking

United States Canada Australia New Zealand

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Citations

Foss History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
England

The Anglo-Saxon name Foss comes from the family having resided in Doultin and Shepton Mallet on either side of Fosse Way. The surname Foss is a topographic surname which literally means "ditch of a fortified place" 1 2 but two sources claim the name to mean "waterfall." 3 4

Anciently, the name could have been Norman as the Magni Rotuli Scaccarii Normanniae shows Geoffry, Hubert, Ralph, Richard, Stephen de Fossa, or De la Fosse of Normandy in 1198. 5

Early Origins of the Foss family

The surname Foss was first found in Sussex where John del Fosse was recorded in 1199. Later the Hundredorum Rolls of 1272 listed Roger de Fossa and Richard de la Fosse of England, but no counties were listed. 5

The Curia Regis Rolls include an entry for Richard atte Fosse, 1 Edward II (during the first year of the reign of King Edward II.) Later the Yorkshire Poll Tax Rolls of 1379 listed Johannes Fosse and Willelmus de Fosse. 3

Over in Somerset, records there show: Richard de Fosse; Margery atte Fosse; and Robert atte Fosse. All were recorded 1 Edward III. 6

"In Somerset the surname is recorded from Doulting and Shepton Mallet, on each side of the Fosse Way, along which lie three farms named Fosse in Wiltshire, four in Warwickshire and two in Nottinghamshire." 7

Early History of the Foss family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Foss research. Another 112 words (8 lines of text) covering the years 1284, 1327, 1379, 1787, 1804, 1811, 1814, 1822, 1830, 1837, 1839, 1840, 1844, 1850, 1853, 1865 and 1870 are included under the topic Early Foss History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Foss Spelling Variations

Foss has been spelled many different ways. Before English spelling became standardized over the last few hundred years, spelling variations in names were a common occurrence. As the English language changed in the Middle Ages, absorbing pieces of Latin and French, as well as other languages, the spelling of people's names also changed considerably, even over a single lifetime. Spelling variants included: Foss, Fosse, Fos, Voss, Foose, Foos and others.

Early Notables of the Foss family

Notables of this surname at this time include:

Edward Foss (1787-1870), English biographer, eldest son of Edward Smith Foss, solicitor, of 36 Essex Street, Strand, London, by Anne, his wife, daughter of Dr...

Foss Ranking

In the United States, the name Foss is the 2,403^rd most popular surname with an estimated 12,435 people with that name. 8

Foss migration to the United States +

In an attempt to escape the chaos experienced in England, many English families boarded overcrowded and diseased ships sailing for the shores of North America and other British colonies. Those families hardy enough, and lucky enough, to make the passage intact were rewarded with land and a social environment less prone to religious and political persecution. Many of these families became important contributors to the young colonies in which they settled. Early immigration and passenger lists have documented some of the first Fosss to arrive on North American shores:

Foss Settlers in United States in the 17th Century

Richard Foss, who arrived in Maryland in 1653 9
John Foss, who arrived in New Hampshire in 1688 9
Mathias De Foss, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1693 9

Foss Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Nicholas Foss, who settled in Philadelphia in 1731
Michael Foss, who settled in Pennsylvania in 1747
Han William Foss, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 9
Joh Phil Foss, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1753 9
Phillip Foss, who arrived in Maryland in 1763
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Foss Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Sarah Foss, who settled in New York in 1820
Stephen Foss, who immigrated to New Orleans in 1821
Michael Foss, who arrived in Allegany (Allegheny) County, Pennsylvania in 1844 9
Manuel Foss, who arrived in Puerto Rico in 1846 9
Friedrich Foss, who arrived in Texas in 1846 aboard the ship "Flavius" 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Foss Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

John Helgesen Foss, who landed in Wisconsin in 1910 9

Foss migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Foss Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Daniel Foss, who landed in Canada in 1831

Foss migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Foss Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. Thomas Foss, (b. 1805), aged 49, Cornish agricultural labourer departing from Plymouth on 30th October 1853 aboard the ship "Omega" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 17th January 1854 10
Mrs. Mary Foss, (b. 1827), aged 27, Cornish settler departing from Plymouth on 30th October 1853 aboard the ship "Omega" arriving in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia on 17th January 1854 10

Foss migration to New Zealand +

Emigration to New Zealand followed in the footsteps of the European explorers, such as Captain Cook (1769-70): first came sealers, whalers, missionaries, and traders. By 1838, the British New Zealand Company had begun buying land from the Maori tribes, and selling it to settlers, and, after the Treaty of Waitangi in 1840, many British families set out on the arduous six month journey from Britain to Aotearoa to start a new life. Early immigrants include:

Foss Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century

William Foss, aged 18, a gardener, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Rodney" in 1875
Mr. Henry Foss, (b. 1855), aged 20, Cornish labourer departing on 27th June 1875 aboard the ship "Waikato" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 3rd October 1875 11
Miss Jane Foss, (b. 1875), aged 3 months, Cornish settler departing on 27th June 1875 aboard the ship "Waikato" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 3rd October 1875 11
Mrs. Mary Foss, (b. 1846), aged 29, Cornish settler departing on 27th June 1875 aboard the ship "Waikato" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 3rd October 1875 11
Mr. Thomas Foss, (b. 1851), aged 24, Cornish labourer departing on 27th June 1875 aboard the ship "Waikato" arriving in Lyttelton, Canterbury, New Zealand on 3rd October 1875 11

Contemporary Notables of the name Foss (post 1700) +

Donald A. Foss (1945-2022), American billionaire businessman, founder and former chairman and CEO of Credit Acceptance; at his death, his net worth was estimated at US$2 billion
Betty Foss (1929-1998), nicknamed Fossey, American All-American Girls Professional Baseball League infielder and outfielder who played from 1950 through 1954
Joseph Jacob "Joe" Foss (1915-2003), American fighter ace of the United States Marine Corps during World War II, Medal of Honor recipient, General in the Air National Guard, and the first commissioner of the American Football League
Darrel Foss (1892-1962), American movie actor from Los Angeles, California
Sam Walter Foss (1858-1911), American poet, journalist, and humorist, born in Candia, NH
Lukas Foss (1922-2009), American composer, pianist, and conductor was born in Berlin and moved to the USA as a youth
Thea Foss (1857-1927), American businessperson
Henry Foss (1891-1986), American civic leader
Frank H. Foss (1865-1947), American politician
Frank Foss (1895-1989), American Olympic athlete
... (Another 11 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Foss family +

RMS Lusitania

Dr. Carl Elmer Foss, American 2nd Class passenger from Harlem, Montana, USA, who sailed aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking 12

Citations +

Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Arthur, William , An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names. London: 1857. Print
Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
The Norman People and Their Existing Descendants in the British Dominions and the United States Of America. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 1975. Print. (ISBN 0-8063-0636-X)
Dickinson, F.H., Kirby's Quest for Somerset of 16th of Edward the 3rd London: Harrison and Sons, Printers in Ordinary to Her Majesty, St, Martin's Lane, 1889. Print.
Reaney, P.H and R.M. Wilson, A Dictionary of English Surnames. London: Routledge, 1991. Print. (ISBN 0-415-05737-X)
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_australia_victoria.pdf
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retrieved 2018, April 30). Emigrants to Lyttelton 1858-84 [PDF]. Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/new_zealand_assisted.pdf
Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/