indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Type Surname (from location)
Usage Norwegian
Meaning & History
A surname most commonly found in the Rogaland region of Norway. The most common theory for the meaning is that it originated from øde sted (or in older spellings, øde stad) meaning "abandoned/barren/solitary place". Many who settled on farms that were wiped out by the Bubonic Plague took similar names.