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Updated June 9, 2019

Family name origins & meanings

  • Swedish (Öster) and German : topographic name from Swedish öster, Middle Low German and Middle High German ōster ‘eastern’, denoting someone who lived to the east of a settlement or who had come there from the east. In many cases the Swedish name is probably ornamental.
  • German : nickname for someone who had a connection with the festival of Easter (for example, someone who was born or baptized at that time), from Oster ‘Easter’.
  • Jewish (Ashkenazic) : topographic or ornamental name from German Ost ‘east’ or ornamental name from German Oster ‘Easter’; compare 1 and 3.
  • Jewish (eastern Ashkenazic) : nickname from Polish ostry or Russian ostryj ‘sharp’, ‘sharp-minded’.
  • Dutch : from a Germanic personal name composed of aust ‘east’ + heri, hari ‘army’.

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