Ast Family History
Ast Name Meaning
German and Jewish (Ashkenazic): from Middle High German ast German Ast ‘knot (in wood) branch’ hence a nickname for a tough or awkward individual or a metonymic occupational name for a lumberjack. As a Jewish name it is artificial. North German: occupational name from Middle Low German arste ‘physician’ a variant of Arzt . German: habitational name from any of the places so named in Bavaria. French (southern): from Occitan ast ‘pike’ or ‘lance’ probably an occupational name for a maker of these weapons. The surname is however most common in Alsace and Lorraine where it is no doubt of German origin (see above).
Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022