Family name origins & meanings
- Norwegian : habitational name from any of several farmsteads named Hillestad, from the Old Norse female personal name Hildr, literally ‘battle’, or any of several other names beginning with Hild- (for example Hildufr, Hildir) + staðir ‘farmstead’, ‘dwelling’. In one example in Hordaland county the last element is Old Norse stǫð ‘landing place’ (for boats).