indicate the level to which a name has been verified.
Type Surname (from location)
Usage German
Other Forms FormsHollstein, Holsten (Low German), Holstine (Americanized)
Meaning & History
habitational name from the province of Holstein long disputed between Germany and Denmark. This gets its name from holsten the dative plural originally used after a preposition of holst from Middle Low German holt-sate "dweller in the woods" (from Middle Low German holt "wood" and sate sete "tenant"). The final syllable has been erroneously altered by analogy with North German steen "stone" which in South German and standard German has the form stein.