Show ContentsGosse History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Bavaria, Germany is the original homeland of the Gosse family. Gosse is a patronymic name, a type of surname that derived from the given name of the father of the original bearer. Gosse was derived from the given name Gosse, from the German noun of the same spelling, which means God.

Early Origins of the Gosse family

The surname Gosse was first found in Bavaria, where since ancient times the Goss family made significant contributions to the advancement of the district's feudal society. Being prominent in social affairs, the family Goss was closely associated to the turbulent events of the period and therefore formed alliances with other distinguished families of the region.

Early History of the Gosse family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Gosse research. Another 91 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1752, 1811 and 1858 are included under the topic Early Gosse History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gosse Spelling Variations

One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Gosse include Goss, Gosse, Gos, Gose, Goes, Goess, Goz, Goss, Göss, Gosse and many more.

Early Notables of the Gosse family

More information is included under the topic Early Gosse Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Gosse World Ranking

In Newfoundland, Canada, the name Gosse is the 57th most popular surname with an estimated 446 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Gosse is ranked the 1,358th most popular surname with an estimated 4,193 people with that name. 2


United States Gosse migration to the United States +

The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from Bavaria who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. For many Bavarian tenant farmers, the chance to own their own land was a major incentive. So the widespread colonization of the United States began in 1650, when many immigrants from Germany settled in pockets in Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. In Canada, German settlement centered in Ontario and the prairie provinces. Among those of this surname listed in various historical records were:

Gosse Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Mrs. Sarah Gosse, (Goffe), British settler who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet, found in Watertown 3
  • Mr. John Gosse, (Goffe), British settler who sailed from Isle of Wight arriving in Salem, Massachusetts in 1630 aboard the ship "Ambrose" as part of the Winthrop Fleet, found in Watertown 3
  • Christopher Gosse, who arrived in Virginia in 1637 4
  • Frances Gosse, who arrived in Maryland in 1654 4
  • Joane Gosse, who landed in Maryland in 1654 4
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Gosse Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • John Gosse, who arrived in Virginia in 1711 4

New Zealand Gosse 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:

Gosse Settlers in New Zealand in the 19th Century
  • Eliza H. Gosse, aged 25, who arrived in Wellington, New Zealand aboard the ship "Waimea" in 1876

West Indies Gosse migration to West Indies +

The British first settled the British West Indies around 1604. They made many attempts but failed in some to establish settlements on the Islands including Saint Lucia and Grenada. By 1627 they had managed to establish settlements on St. Kitts (St. Christopher) and Barbados, but by 1641 the Spanish had moved in and destroyed some of these including those at Providence Island. The British continued to expand the settlements including setting the First Federation in the British West Indies by 1674; some of the islands include Barbados, Bermuda, Cayman Island, Turks and Caicos, Jamaica and Belize then known as British Honduras. By the 1960's many of the islands became independent after the West Indies Federation which existed from 1958 to 1962 failed due to internal political conflicts. After this a number of Eastern Caribbean islands formed a free association. 5
Gosse Settlers in West Indies in the 17th Century
  • John Gosse, who settled in Barbados in 1660

Contemporary Notables of the name Gosse (post 1700) +

  • Emily Gosse (1806-1857), née Bowes, English-born, American religious writer, born on 9 Nov. 1806 in London 6
  • Bob Gosse (b. 1963), American film producer, actor and director
  • Richard Andrew Gosse, American Republican politician, Candidate for Governor of California, 2003 7
  • Peter Gosse (b. 1938), German poet, prose author and essayist
  • Philip Henry Gosse (1810-1888), English naturalist, generally recognized as the inventor of the seawater aquarium 6
  • René Gosse (1883-1943), French mathematician and hero resistant during World War II, a monument can be found for him in Grenoble, France
  • Gordon Leonard Gosse Jr. (1955-2019), Canadian politician, Speaker of the House of Assembly of Nova Scotia (2011-2013)
  • François Claude Gosse, French Brigadier General during the French Revolutionary and Napoleonic Wars from 1789 to 1815 8
  • Charles Gosse (1849-1885), English-born, surgeon in the colony of South Australia, youngest son of surgeon William Gosse
  • John C. Gosse, Canadian leading researcher in the field of geomorphology awarded the W.W. Hutchison Medal from the Geological Association of Canada in 2006
  • ... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

SS Caribou
  • Mr. Leonard Gosse, (Lorenzo, Goose), Newfoundland passenger from Grand Falls-Windsor, Newfoundland and Labrador was travelling aboard the railway ferry "SS Caribou" when it was struck by a German submarine torpedo on 14th October 1942, the most significant sinking in Canadian waters at that time, he survived the sinking
SS Newfoundland
  • Mr. Patrick Gosse (1891-1914), Newfoundlander from Torbay, who on the 30th March 1914 he was part of the Seal Crew of the "SS Newfoundland" leaving the ship to intercept the Stephano which took him to the hunting grounds, he disembarked to begin sealing, but was caught in a thickening storm, attempting to return to the Newfoundland he and the 132 crew made camp for two days the sealers were stranded on the ice in a blizzard attempting to return to the ship, he died during this time
SS Southern Cross
  • Mr. William Gosse (1892-1914), Newfoundlander from St. John's who was aboard the "SS Southern Cross" when it is suspected she sank between the 31st March 1914 and early April during the storm with a heavy load of pelts; no survivors were ever found
  • Mr. Robert Gosse (1858-1914), Newfoundlander from Spaniard's Bay who was aboard the "SS Southern Cross" when it is suspected she sank between the 31st March 1914 and early April during the storm with a heavy load of pelts; no survivors were ever found


  1. The order of Common Surnames in 1955 in Newfoundland retrieved on 20th October 2021 (retrieved from Family Names of the Island of Newfoundland by E.R. Seary corrected edition ISBN 0-7735-1782-0)
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. Pilgrim Ship's of 1600's. Retrieved January 6th 2023 from https://www.packrat-pro.com/ships/shiplist.htm
  4. 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)
  5. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_West_Indies
  6. Wikisource contributors. "Dictionary of National Biography, 1885-1900." Wikisource . Wikisource , 4 Jun. 2018. Web. 30 June 2020
  7. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  8. Generals Who Served in the French Army during the Period 1789-1815. (Retrieved 2015, March 6) François Gosse. Retrieved from http://www.napoleon-series.org/research/c_frenchgenerals.html


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