Horstman
A Dutch and North German surname meaning “man from the horst,” or elevated ground/ridge.
The #8,936 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 84,265 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is built from horst, an old Dutch and Low German word for a wooded rise, ridge, or rough elevated piece of ground. The second element man simply means “man,” so the name originally referred to someone who lived by or came from such a place. In some cases it may also have been used as a habitational surname from a place named Horst.
History
Historical name lists place Horstman among surnames formed from Horst, alongside related forms such as Van der Horst and Ter Horst. The surname is especially at home in the Netherlands and neighboring German-speaking areas, where surnames from local landscape features are common. In English-speaking countries it is generally found through later immigration.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same horst element appears in many Dutch and German place and family names, not just Horstman.
From the historical record
“de groote en ruwe nesten der roofvogels noemt men ook wel horst. Dit woord komt in vele plaatsnamen voor , en niet minder in geslachtsnamen, als: Horstman, Rouwenhorst, Quell- horst, Selhorst, Borghorst, Ter Reehorst, enz. Van der Koogh en Van der Koog met Van der Kaag. Koog , kaag , keeg zijn allen verschillende…”
— De Nederlandsche geslachtsnamen in oorsprong, geschiedenis en beteekenis