Meaning & History
From the town of Oosterhout,, meaning "East Wood", as it is located nearby forests in the east of the Netherlands. Primary modern usage is in the United States can be traced back to Jan Jensen van Oosterhoudt, who immigrated to New Amsterdam in the 17th Century, and has been generally been simplified to Osterhout, where the O is pronounced as "AW". The correct Dutch pronunciation has the O pronounced as in "boat".