Gast
A surname that can come from an old word for “guest” or, in some cases, from shortened or altered longer names.
The #7,235 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 66,944 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The core word behind Gast is the old Germanic element gast, meaning “guest” or “stranger.” This word is well attested across early Germanic languages, including Old English gest and Old Norse gestr, and it appears in a number of old personal names and surnames. In some cases, however, Gast may be a shortened or altered form of a longer surname rather than an original independent name.
History
Historical surname writers also connected Gast with altered forms such as Prendergast and Gastrell, especially in Irish and Norman contexts, so the name may have multiple independent histories. In English and German-speaking areas, the simple form Gast fits an inherited word-name pattern, while in America it may sometimes reflect later shortening or anglicizing of longer immigrant surnames. Because of that mixed background, the surname is best treated as having more than one possible source.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same Germanic root behind Gast also lies behind English guest and German Gast, so the surname literally preserves a very old word for a visitor or outsider.
From the historical record
“for Pencl(e)gast, q.v. F?END(E)GAST seems to be a compound of pend- (seen iu the name of the famous 7th-cent. Mercian King Penda), and Teut.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)