Show ContentsAusterman History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Austerman 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, Austerman 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 Austerman family

The surname Austerman 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 Austerman family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Austerman 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 Austerman History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Austerman 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 Austerman family

Another 36 words (3 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Austerman Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Austerman migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Austerman Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Lewis Austerman, who arrived in Indiana in 1852 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Austerman (post 1700) +

  • Alan David Austerman (b. 1943), American politician, Republican member of the Alaska House of Representatives, Majority Leader of the Alaska House of Representatives
  • Alan Austerman (b. 1943), American Republican politician, Member of Alaska State House of Representatives; Elected 1994, 1996, 1998; Member of Alaska State Senate District C, 2000- 2


  1. 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)
  2. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 28) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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