The name VOSS is not as uncommon in the UK as is sometimes supposed. In 1881 27 persons per million were Vosses.  By 1998 this had fallen to 24 persons per million.  In September 2002 there were 1308 people using thename Voss (with that exact spelling) in England, Wales and the Isle of Mann.

In 1881 Vosses were concentrated mainly in Leicestershire and Dorset.  Over the years since then the name as spread out, and Dorset now has the highest concentration.

The forenames used by Vosses suggest that, ethnically, they are:

• 97%  English or undetermined
• 1.6% German or Dutch
• 0.6% Irish
• 0.3% Nordic

The geographic concentrations imply that the Vosses within a region may well be related, but not necessarily.  My G Grandfather Albert VOSS was borne 1840 in  Weymouth, Dorset and grew up there, but the Albert VOSS in the Weymouth 1881 census had parents borne in Adeloe, Germany.

Statistics from Public Profiler and The Office of National Statistics