Arbogast
A surname of Germanic origin, traditionally explained as meaning “inheritance guest” or “guest of the estate.”
The #6,098 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 54,888 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This name is usually traced to old Germanic elements seen in medieval forms such as Arbogastes. The first element is commonly connected with a root meaning “inheritance” or “estate” (compare German Erbe), while the second is gast, meaning “guest.” Taken together, the name is often explained as something like “guest of the inheritance” or “guest of the estate,” though older scholars did not always agree on the exact first element.
History
The name is historically associated with Arbogastes, a Frankish general under the Roman emperor Gratian in the 4th century. Later German and French surname usage seems to preserve the old personal name, which survived as a family name in French and German-speaking areas and later appeared in English-language records. In modern use it is chiefly found as a surname, especially in the United States among families of German ancestry.
Origin
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Fun fact
The historical Arbogastes was notable enough that his name has been repeatedly cited in old surname dictionaries as the classic example behind this family name.
From the historical record
“ARB I. gotarbi, ahd. arpi, erbi, mhd. erbe ^das Erbe*^. FN. Arbogastes 4.: Arbogast Erbhart: Arbert — Arpert — Erbert, Erphari: Erber. Erfman: Arfmann. Arbrih: Erbrick; Erbreich,”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen