Show ContentsQuast History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The roots of the distinguished surname Quast lie in the region of Pomerania. The name literally means "whisk" or "frond," and was used to indicate the bathhouse operator, whose duty it was to rub the bathers with a "quast." Alternatively, the name Quast may be derived from "Quast," the name of a city located in Mecklenburg. In this case, the name would have been initially borne by someone who hailed from this city.

Early Origins of the Quast family

The surname Quast was first found in North Germany, where it is thought to have originated. The earliest known bearer of the name was Arnold Quast, who was a citizen of Rostock in 1314. The young Quast family was a major contributor during this early period, playing a crucial role in the development of medieval German society.

Early History of the Quast family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Quast research. Another 96 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1314, 1331, 1349, 1613, 1620, 1670, 1814 and 1891 are included under the topic Early Quast History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Quast Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Quast, Quastt, Kwast, Quest, Questd and others.

Early Notables of the Quast family

Prominent bearers of the name Quast at this time were

  • Albrecht Christoph von Quast (1613-1670), a military general, Hillebrand Gerritsz Quast (c.1620), a vice-admiral, and Johann Zacharias Quast (1814-1891), a well-known Austrian painter

Quast Ranking

In the United States, the name Quast is the 14,505th most popular surname with an estimated 2,487 people with that name. 1


United States Quast migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Quast Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Johannes Quast, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1772 2
  • Johann Nicolaus Quast, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1774 2
Quast Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • F W Quast, who arrived in New York, NY in 1850 2
  • Adolpf Quast, who landed in America in 1866 2
  • Henry Quast, aged 18, who arrived in America in 1882 2
Quast Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
  • Charlotte Quast, aged 2, who landed in America from Hohomwestend, in 1902
  • Anna Quast, aged 24, who settled in America from Neuenfelde, Germany, in 1910
  • Clara Quast, aged 48, who immigrated to the United States from Reuenfelden, Germany, in 1914
  • Hertha Quast, aged 16, who landed in America from Wulsdorf, Germany, in 1921
  • Ida Quast, aged 19, who immigrated to the United States from Berlin, Germany, in 1922
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Quast (post 1700) +

  • Brad Quast (b. 1968), American all-conference football player
  • Anne Quast (b. 1937), American golfer
  • Oscar Roger Quast, American politician, Candidate in primary for Mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota, 1993 3
  • Werner "Quax" Quast (1920-1962), German Luftwaffe ace and recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
  • Willi Quast (b. 1905), German pianist
  • Werner Quast, German fighter pilot and flying ace in the Luftwaffe, during World War II, credited with 84 aerial victories, awarded the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
  • Matthijs Quast (d. 1641), Dutch explorer in the seventeenth century
  • Peter Quast (1606-1647), Dutch painter and engraver
  • Philip Quast (b. 1957), Australian actor perhaps best known for his role as Inspector Javert in the Les Misérables


  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 13) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


Houseofnames.com on Facebook