Skip to main content

Updated June 9, 2019

Family name origins & meanings

  • North German (Lower Rhine-Westphalia) : metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of potage, from Middle Low German potharst (from pot ‘pot’ + harst ‘roast’), a thick soup or stew made with beef and root vegetables. The word was in common use until around 1850, when it was replaced by Gulasch.

Join the Family

Your partner in parenting from baby name inspiration to college planning.

Subscribe