Gast Family History

Gast Surname Meaning

German, Dutch, and Jewish (Ashkenazic): nickname for a stranger or newcomer to a community. Middle High German gast means ‘guest, foreigner, stranger’ and is reflected in the German Gast. It is also found in France, particularly in Alsace and Lorraine.

In German and Swiss German, it can be derived from a short form of personal names such as Gastolf or Arbogast. The name has various applications across regions, highlighting its versatility in usage.

In English, particularly in Middlesex and Sussex, it appears as a variant of Ghost. This either serves as a nickname from Middle English gost and gast, which translates to ‘spirit, angel, demon, soul, ghost,’ tracing back to Old English gǣst and gāst.

Alternatively, it can function as a habitational name related to a lost or unidentified place, adding another layer to its historical significance.

In French, it is a topographic name for someone who lived on a patch of uncultivated land, deriving from Old French gast, meaning ‘waste land, fallow’. This usage emphasizes the geographical and occupational contexts associated with the term.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Gass, Ast, Gust, Gant, Last, Mast, Kast, Nast, Gatt, Bast

118,000 record(s) for Gast

45K	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
6K	Military Records
3K	Immigration Records
19K	Census and Voter Lists
43K	Member Trees

Where is the Gast family from?

You can see how Gast families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Gast family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Gast families were found in USA in 1880. In 1840 there were 8 Gast families living in Pennsylvania. This was about 62% of all the recorded Gast's in USA. Pennsylvania had the highest population of Gast families in 1840.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Gast surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

What did your Gast ancestors do for a living?

In 1940, Farmer and Housewife were the top reported jobs for men and women in the USA named Gast. 23% of Gast men worked as a Farmer and 10% of Gast women worked as a Housewife. Some less common occupations for Americans named Gast were Clerk and Maid.

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

Top Male Occupations In 1940

Farmer

23%

Laborer

11%

Salesman

7%

Clerk

4%

Top Female Occupations In 1940

Housewife

10%

Stenographer

8%

Bookkeeper

6%

Maid

6%

What Gast family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 19K census records available for the last name Gast. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Gast census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Passenger List

There are 3K immigration records available for the last name Gast. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the USA, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

Military Records

There are 6K military records available for the last name Gast. For the veterans among your Gast ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

What is the average Gast lifespan?

Between 1944 and 2004, in the United States, Gast life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1944, and highest in 2000. The average life expectancy for Gast in 1944 was 27, and 78 in 2004.

An unusually short lifespan might indicate that your Gast ancestors lived in harsh conditions. A short lifespan might also indicate health problems that were once prevalent in your family. The SSDI is a searchable database of more than 70 million names. You can find birthdates, death dates, addresses and more.