Kos Family History

Polish, Slovenian, Croatian, Serbian, Czech, and Slovak; Sorbian (Kós): nickname from kos (Sorbian kós) ‘blackbird’ denoting someone thought to resemble the bird in some way, for example, someone with a good singing voice. The Sorbian surname is found mainly in Germanized forms Koss and Kuss. Compare also Cos and Coss.

Czech, Slovak, and Croatian (Koš): metonymic occupational name for a basketmaker from koš ‘basket’. The Sorbian cognates Kóš (Lower Sorbian) and Koš (Upper Sorbian) are found in Germanized or Americanized forms only (see Kosch and Kosh).

Jewish (Ashkenazic): probably an artificial name from Slavic kos ‘blackbird’ as in 1; alternatively, from Hebrew kos ‘drinking glass’ or Yiddish kos ‘goblet cup’, probably applied as a metonymic occupational name for someone who made glasses or cups.

Dutch: from a pet form of the personal name Constantius (see Constant).

Hungarian (Kós): from kos ‘ram’, a loanword from Ottoman Turkish qoç (compare Koc); perhaps a metonymic occupational name for a shepherd but more probably a nickname for someone thought to resemble the animal.