The English name of Bass comes from the Old French term of ‘bas’ which means short or one from simple beginnings. A later English form would refer to a fish seller. A variation of Bass is Basse. In Scotland Bass families live in Lanarkshire county. Across England and Wales, the bass surname is common, especially in Essex, Bedfordshire and Leicestershire counties. Georgia, Missouri, North Carolina, Texas, New York, California, Tennessee, Michigan, Illinois and Mississippi in the United States have high numbers of Bass families. Famous: Sid Bass (songwriter), Newton T. Bass (land and oil developer), Billy Bass (radio personality), Lance Bass (singer), George H. Bass (founder of G. H. Bass & Co for shoes), Norm Bass (professional football player), T. J. Bass (science fiction writer) and Pinky Bass (photographer).