Feaster
An English surname that likely began as a nickname for someone associated with feasting or a cheerful appetite.
The #6,900 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 63,384 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Feaster is most naturally understood as a nickname surname built on Middle English feast, from Old French feste and ultimately Latin festa, meaning a feast or festival. The ending -er can mark a person associated with an activity or thing, so the name would originally suggest a person who feasted, entertained, or perhaps enjoyed good living. Some 19th-century writers also linked related forms to an older Germanic word family meaning firm or steadfast, but for Feaster itself the feast-based explanation is the clearer and more ordinary one.
History
The surname appears in English-speaking records by the 19th century and is treated in old surname lists alongside names formed from food, merriment, and social habits. Its modern distribution in the United States suggests an inherited family name rather than a recent coinage, though it remains relatively uncommon. Because the name can be confused with similar-looking forms such as Fester or Faster, historical spellings may vary.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
Old surname lists sometimes group Feaster with other appetitive or sociable names such as Feeder, Diner, and Boozer, showing how vividly nicknames could turn into family names.
From the historical record
“and Colflesh (i.e., " cold fish " and " cold flesh "), 'Mv. Chowder and Mr. Grayy, are found in Philadelphia ; and both Mr. Faster and Mr. Feaster. A Mr. Feaster also lives at Altona, C.W. ; and another was wounded in a late riot at Baltimore. Mr. Chew Van Bibber, of that city, subscribed for Agassiz's w^ork. Mr.…”
— Suffolk Surnames (3rd ed.)