Horst History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands
Germany

The name Horst comes from the German region of Westphalia. The tradition of adopting hereditary surnames came to Germany after the 12th century, and the names of places where people lived were a primary source. Many local names carry the prefix "von", meaning "of" or "from". It originally indicated land ownership, and is sometimes a mark of nobility. The Horst family originally lived near or in a hurst, which is a wood or thicket. Thus, Horst is a topographic surname, which was given to a person who resided near a physical feature such as a hill, stream, church, or type of tree.

Early Origins of the Horst family

The surname Horst was first found in Westphalia, where the name Horst contributed greatly to the development of an emerging nation. The name appears in chronicles of 1292, which place Berthold von der Horst, a knight, at the family seat in the county of Recklingshausen. They eventually formed three main lines of descent: the von der Horst zu Horst, von der Horst zum Hauss und zu Milsen, and von der Horst zu Mudlinghoven und Hellenbruch. The names of these lines come from the intermarriage with the Hauss family, or from the name of the estates in their possession.

Early History of the Horst family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Horst research. Another 100 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1664 and 1741 are included under the topic Early Horst History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Horst Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Horst include Horst, Horste, Horsst, Horsste, Horest, Horeste, Horstt and many more.

Early Notables of the Horst family

Notables of the period with the name Horst were

Dietrich von der Horst, advisor to Duke Johann Wilhelm, who was also trustee to Duesseldorf

Horst Ranking

In the United States, the name Horst is the 4,934^th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in Netherlands, the name Horst is ranked the 639^th most popular surname with an estimated 2,857 people with that name. 2

Horst migration to the United States +

For many Germans, emigration to North America was an inviting alternative to the trials of life in the old country. From the mid-17th into the present century, thousands of Germans migrated across the Atlantic. They capitalized on the chance to escape poverty and persecution, and to own their own land. After 1650, Germans settled throughout the states of Pennsylvania, Texas, New York, Illinois, and California. Many also landed in Canada, settling in Ontario or father west on the rich land of the prairies. Among them:

Horst Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Walter Horst, who sailed to London England in 1709
Wendel Horst, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1743 3
Joh Wilhelm Horst, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1746 3
Ludwig Horst, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1750 3
Johan Nickel Horst, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1764 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Horst Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Alexander Horst, who settled in Philadelphia in 1817
Johan Heinrick Horst, who settled in Missouri in 1840
Johan Heinrick Horst, aged 30, who landed in Missouri in 1840 3
Edward Horst, who arrived in New York in 1841 3
Peter Horst, who arrived in St Clair County, Illinois in 1844 3
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Horst Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Gustave Horst, aged 2, who arrived in America in 1900 3
Heinrich Horst, aged 40, who landed in America in 1900 3
Jacob Horst, who arrived in America in 1900 3
Wilhelm Horst, aged 13, who landed in America in 1900 3
Margretha Horst, aged 36, who landed in America in 1900 3

Horst migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Horst Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Mr. George Wilson Horst, (b. 1814), aged 23, English convict who was convicted in Essex, England for 7 years for assault, transported aboard the "Charles Kerr" on 6th June 1837, arriving in New South Wales, Australia 4

Contemporary Notables of the name Horst (post 1700) +

Jeremy M. Horst (b. 1985), American Major League Baseball pitcher
Horst P. Horst (1906-1999), born Horst Paul Albert Bohrmann, German-born, American fashion photographer
David Horst (b. 1985), American soccer player
Louis Horst (1844-1964), American conductor, pianist, and composer
Bruce E Horst, American manufacturing company executive
Arnoldus Van der Horst (1748-1815), American politician, Member of South Carolina State House of Representatives, 1776-78, 1798-99; Member of South Carolina State Senate, 1783-91; Governor of South Carolina, 1794-96 5
Ulrich Horst Ph.D., German Professor of Mathematics at the University of British Columbia
Alexander Horst (b. 1982), Austrian beach volleyball player
Steven Horst Ph.D., Chair of Philosophy at Wesleyan University
Sandra Horst, Canadian Head Coach/Conductor and Chorus Director for the Opera Division of the Faculty of Music at the University of Toronto

Citations +

"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
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)
Convict Records of Australia. Retrieved 1st February 2021 from https://convictrecords.com.au/ships/charles-kerr
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, February 2) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html