Pronounciation

It is a German name and is properly pronounced koo-sa.  However, in America, we (at least my family) pronounce it koo-zy.

History

As told to me by a Kuhse from Germany:

Between the 12th. and 15th. century family names were formed in Germany. Family names were formed after places, profession, character, habbit or body appearance.
Kuhse and Kuse are the same. Till the introduction of the registry office the writing of the name wasn't fixed, because people couldn't write nor read properly.
Phone appearance Kuhse 123 and Kuse 265, the average per connection is counted with 2,8 persons
Today most Kuhses are living in Hamburg, Bremen, Berlin and Stralsund. Than in the state Mecklenburg-Vorpommern in the area Parchim.
Before 1945 mainly Güstrow- Rostock, northwest Brandenburg and the region Kolberg/Pommern (today Poland.)
The name Kuhse was first mentioned in 1644 in Mecklenburg and Kuse 1621 in Dortmund, Northrhein-Westfalia. The oldest document Cuse is from 1245 appeared in Goettingen.
The interpretation goes back to the east lower German dialect and middlelower German dialect and is a methaper of a person with a shapeless body or a back. Sounds not so pretty I know. The second methaper is a person with conspicuous teeth. In favour is the first version with the conspicuous body. the information are from the university of Leipzig. 

A crest found on the internet: