Family name origins & meanings
- German : nickname for a red-haired person, from Middle High German rost ‘rust’.
- German : metonymic occupational name for a limeburner or blacksmith, from Middle High German, Middle Low German rōst ‘grate’, ‘grill’ or Middle High German rōst(e) ‘fire’, ‘embers’, ‘pyre’, ‘grate’ (typically one for burning lime).