Gast Family History

German, Dutch, and Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname for a stranger or newcomer to a community. Middle High German gast means ‘guest, foreigner, stranger’ and is reflected in the German Gast. It is also found in France, particularly in Alsace and Lorraine.

In German and Swiss German, it can be derived from a short form of personal names such as Gastolf or Arbogast. The name has various applications across regions, highlighting its versatility in usage.

In English, particularly in Middlesex and Sussex, it appears as a variant of Ghost. This either serves as a nickname from Middle English gost and gast, which translates to ‘spirit, angel, demon, soul, ghost,’ tracing back to Old English gǣst and gāst.

Alternatively, it can function as a habitational name related to a lost or unidentified place, adding another layer to its historical significance.

In French, it is a topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of uncultivated land, deriving from Old French gast, meaning ‘waste land, fallow’. This usage emphasizes the geographical and occupational contexts associated with the term.