Show ContentsOsterman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Osterman is of uncertain origin, but there are several possibilities for its source. It may have derived from the Gothic word "ostan" meaning "the direction of the rising sun," and may have been initially born by someone from the east. Alternatively, Osterman may have come from the Middle High German word "Oster," meaning "Easter," and the name would have likely belonged to someone born or baptized during the festival of Easter. Oster is an element in many compound names, such as Osterbrock, Osterfeld, and Osterkamp.

Early Origins of the Osterman family

The surname Osterman was first found in Saxony. The earliest record of this surname dates back to the twelfth century when one Fridericus Osterman was recorded in 1150. In 1159, Gerardus Osterman was a citizen of Cologne. Lippold von der Oesten was recorded in 1254, and Hinricus de Osten appeared in 1302. Radeke Osterlo was listed in 1423, Berchtold Österli in Oberhausen, Wurttemberg in 1485, and Jurgen Ostermann in Goettingen in 1563. Veit Ostermann was a citizen of Passau in 1623 and in 1680, Matthias Ostermann was residing in Erding. Michael Ahasverus Ostermaier served as mayor of the town of Ratzeburg in the seventeenth century, and his son Johann (1678-1733) was a pastor in Crumesse.

Early History of the Osterman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Osterman research. Another 140 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1678, 1686, 1711, 1730, 1747, 1808 and 1855 are included under the topic Early Osterman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Osterman Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Oster, Ost, Oest, Öst, Osten, Östing, Österle, Österlen, Osterloh, Ostermann, Östermann, Ostermaier, Ostermayer, Ostermeier, Osterer, Osterling, Osterbrock, Osterbrauk, Osterbrink, Osterfeld, Osterhues, Osterkamp, Osterholt, Osterwiesch, Ostersehlte, Osterwind, Osterberg and many more.

Early Notables of the Osterman family

Notables of the time included

  • 1711), a Flemish sculptor, who settled in England around 1678, and the powerful Russian statesman, Count Andrei Ivanovich Osterman (1686-1747), who was born Heinrich Johann Friedrich Ostermann in Germ...

Osterman Ranking

In the United States, the name Osterman is the 7,809th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. [1]


United States Osterman migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Osterman Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Hans Jacob Osterman, aged 28, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1748 [2]
Osterman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Bernard Osterman, aged 26, who landed in Missouri in 1848 [2]
  • Francis Osterman, who arrived in Indiana in 1851 [2]

Canada Osterman migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Osterman Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century
  • Johannes Osterman, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
  • Margereta Osterman, who arrived in Nova Scotia in 1757
  • Maria Osterman, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757

Contemporary Notables of the name Osterman (post 1700) +

  • Melvin H. Osterman, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from New York, 1948 (alternate), 1952, 1956 (alternate); Candidate for Justice of New York Supreme Court 1st District, 1954 [3]
  • Harry Osterman, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Illinois, 2008 [3]

RMS Lusitania
  • Mr. Jacob Osterman, English Waiter from England, who worked aboard the RMS Lusitania (1915) and survived the sinking [4]


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 10) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  4. Lusitania Passenger List - The Lusitania Resource. (Retrieved 2014, March 7) . Retrieved from http://www.rmslusitania.info/lusitania-passenger-list/


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