# Joss (surname)

Source: https://namelineage.com/surname/joss/  
Publisher: Name Lineage. Counts from the US Census Bureau; origin and etymology from Wiktionary; bearers from Wikidata. Data updated 2026-11-11.

A surname.

| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Origin | not recorded |
| Type | not recorded |
| People in the US (2010 Census) | 704 |
| US rank (2010) | 32,632 of 162,253 |
| How often | about 1 in every 438,559 people |
| Change since 2000 | -3.7% (731 in 2000) |
| Pronunciation | not recorded |
| Variant spellings | none recorded |

## Etymology

Verb usage evolved from the name of Joss Whedon, creator of the television series Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly.

## Who carries it

Share of people named Joss in the 2010 US Census by the Census's own race and ethnicity groups. The Census suppresses a share when the count behind it is small.

| Group | Share |
|---|---|
| White (not Hispanic) | 96% |
| Black (not Hispanic) | 0.8% |
| Hispanic or Latino (any race) | 1.4% |
| Two or more races | 0.7% |

## Similar surnames

Jose, Josey, Jess, Joos, Joshi, Joshua, Joyce, Jack, Jasso, Jacks, Jessee, Jessie.

## How to read these numbers

A Census count is people alive and counted in 2010, not births, and names occurring fewer than 100 times are not published at all. Ethnicity shares are the Census's own categories.