Ostrander
A Dutch surname likely referring to a man from the east shore or eastern bank.
The #3,722 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 32,438 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is generally explained from Dutch elements meaning "east" and "shore" or "bank," with a final element interpreted as "man" or "lord" in older etymological treatments. In other words, it likely began as a name for someone living on or near the eastern shore, or someone associated with that place. Older sources sometimes gloss it more loosely as a "lord of the east shore," but the place-based sense is the safer modern reading.
History
The name appears in Dutch-American naming traditions and was already noted in 19th-century surname dictionaries as a Dutch form. In the United States it became established through Dutch and later immigrant lines, and today it is especially associated with American families of Dutch descent. The spelling has remained fairly stable, though older references sometimes connect it with related forms such as Ostrom or Ostberg.
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Fun fact
A 19th-century surname dictionary explicitly glossed Ostrander as a Dutch name connected with the east shore.
From the historical record
“tation or village. — From the east habitation or village. OSTRANDER. (Dutch.) The lord of the east shore, from oste, east, strand, the shore, and heer, lord or master ; he that must have his due of a stranded ship. OSWALD. (Sax.) From hus, a house, and wold, a ruler — a house-ruler or steward ; a king of…”
— An Etymological Dictionary of Family and Christian Names