Show ContentsNast History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Nast family

The surname Nast was first found in Cornwall where they held a family seat as Lords of the Manor. Cornwall was a land set apart, a land of mystique and quaint customs, more strongly related to Brittany and Wales than to England. It was not until the 10th century that they submitted to the Saxon rule of England. Since then, their influence has moved east into Devon, Somerset and Dorset.

Early History of the Nast family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Nast research. Another 20 words (1 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Nast History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Nast Spelling Variations

Cornish surnames are characterized by a multitude of spelling variations. The frequent changes in surnames are due to the fact that the Old and Middle English languages lacked definite spelling rules. The official court languages, which were Latin and French, were also influential on the spelling of a surname. Since the spelling of surnames was rarely consistent in medieval times, and scribes and church officials recorded names as they sounded rather than adhering to any specific spelling rules, it was common to find the same individual referred to with different spellings of their surname in the ancient chronicles. Moreover, a large number of foreign names were brought into England, which accelerated and accentuated the alterations to the spelling of various surnames. Lastly, spelling variations often resulted from the linguistic differences between the people of Cornwall and the rest of England. The Cornish spoke a unique Brythonic Celtic language which was first recorded in written documents during the 10th century. However, they became increasingly Anglicized, and Cornish became extinct as a spoken language in 1777, although it has been revived by Cornish patriots in the modern era. The name has been spelled Nastadran, Nastradan, Nastadren and others.

Early Notables of the Nast family

Notable amongst the family at this time was

  • the Nastadran family of Cornwall


Nast migration to the United States +

An examination into the immigration and passenger lists has discovered a number of people bearing the name Nast:

Nast Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jacob Nast, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 1
  • Daniel Nast, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1792 1
Nast Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Gottlob Christian Nast, aged 34, who arrived in Missouri in 1840 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Nast (post 1700) +

  • Condé Montrose Nast (1873-1942), American founder of Condé Nast Publications
  • William Frederick Nast (1840-1893), American diplomat and entrepreneur
  • Thomas Nast (1840-1902), German-born American caricaturist and editorial cartoonist
  • William F. Nast, American politician, U.S. Consul in Stuttgart, 1861-64 2
  • William Nast (1807-1899), German-born religious leader and editor, founder of the German Methodist Church of the United States


  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, November 12) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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