Heist History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Scotland

The roots of the Heist family stretch back to the Strathclyde people of the Scottish/English Borderlands, who were the first to use this surname. It is derived from "the name of an ancestor, 'the son of Anastasia,' from the nickname Anstie, abbreviated to Astie." 1

Some sources note the Hastie variant could have been a nickname for someone who was "hasty, impatient." 2 3 4

Early Origins of the Heist family

The surname Heist was first found in Lanarkshire (Gaelic: Siorrachd Lannraig) a former county in the central Strathclyde region of Scotland, now divided into the Council Areas of North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and the City of Glasgow.

"Robert Hasty and John Hasty were tenants of Herthornhill in 1376, Thom Hasti witnessed an instrument of sasine dated 1478, and John Haisty was witness to another instrument of sasine in 1525. " 5

Further to the south, the surname was typically found without the "H" prefix as the Hundredorum Rolls of 1273 listed: Adam Asty, Kent; and John Asty, Norfolk. 1

Norfolk had some early entries for the name too: Thomas Asty, Norfolk, 1374; and Robert Asty, rector of West Herling, Norfolk, 1410. 6

Early History of the Heist family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Heist research. Another 130 words (9 lines of text) covering the years 1523, 1543, 1556, 1567, 1595, 1626, 1672, 1730 and 1800 are included under the topic Early Heist History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heist Spelling Variations

Before the printing press standardized spelling in the last few hundred years, no general rules existed in the English language. Spelling variations in Scottish names from the Middle Ages are common even within a single document. Heist has been spelled Hastie, Hasty, Asty and others.

Early Notables of the Heist family

Another 33 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Heist Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Heist Ranking

In the United States, the name Heist is the 15,489^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 7

Heist migration to the United States +

For Scottish immigrants, the great expense of travel to North America did not seem such a problem in those unstable times. Acres of land awaited them and many got the chance to fight for their freedom in the American War of Independence. These Scots and their ancestors went on to play important roles in the forging of the great nations of the United States and Canada. Among them:

Heist Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johan Peter Heist, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1749 8
Johan Philip Heist, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 8
Nickol Heist, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1749 8
Johann Philip Heist, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1750 8
Bartolemai Heist, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1751 8
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Heist Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Nikolaus Heist, who arrived in America in 1853 8

Contemporary Notables of the name Heist (post 1700) +

George W. Heist, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Nebraska, 1888 9

Citations +

Bardsley, C.W, A Dictionary of English and Welsh Surnames: With Special American Instances. Wiltshire: Heraldry Today, 1901. Print. (ISBN 0-900455-44-6)
Harrison, Henry, Surnames of the United Kingdom: A Concise Etymological Dictionary Baltimore: Geneological Publishing Company, 2013. Print
Smith, Eldson Coles, New Dictionary of American Family Names New York: Harper & Row, 1956. Print
Lower, Mark Anthony, Patronymica Britannica, A Dictionary of Family Names of the United Kingdom. London: John Russel Smith, 1860. Print.
Black, George F., The Surnames of Scotland Their Origin, Meaning and History. New York: New York Public Library, 1946. Print. (ISBN 0-87104-172-3)
Rye, Walter, A History of Norfolk. London: Elliot Stock, 62, Paternoster Row, 1885. Print
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 16) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html