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’.