Faust History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany
Israel

Etymology of Faust

What does the name Faust mean?

With the pressure to have a fixed surname, Jews sought out interesting ways to name themselves. Some gathered at the synagogue and the rabbi opened a prayer book, the first word on a page was then offered to a family, and so on. Some took names from popular characters in literature. While others created matronymic and patronymic names with suffixes like -sohn, -ov, -kin, etc to denote “descendant of”. 1

Faust, however, comes from the category of nickname surnames, which were originally given to individual based on their character, or physical make-up. The Old High German word "faust" is German for fist, and the name is thought to have been a nickname for a strong or pugnacious person or for someone with a club hand or other deformity of the hand. The German surname Faust is taken from the Latin personal name Fautus, which means 'fortunate', or 'lucky'.

Faust Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Faust, Fauste, Faustel, Fausst, Fausste, Fauss, Fausse, Fust and many more.

Faust Ranking

In the United States, the name Faust is the 2,068^th most popular surname with an estimated 14,922 people with that name. 2 However, in France, the name Faust is ranked the 9,188^th most popular surname with an estimated 500 - 1,000 people with that name. 3

Faust migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Faust Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Johann Philip Faust, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1732
Johan Peter Faust, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 4
Johan Philip Faust, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1733 4
Johann Philip Faust, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1733 4
Melchior Faust, who arrived in America in 1739 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Faust Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Johannis Faust, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1802 4
Georg Faust, who landed in America in 1809 4
A. Faust, who settled in New Orleans, Louisiana in 1820
Nicolaus Faust, who arrived in North America in 1837 4
Charles Faust, who landed in New York in 1840 4
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Faust migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Faust Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Friedrich Faust, who arrived in Canada in 1783 at the age of 24
Friedrich Faust, who landed in Canada in 1783

Faust Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century

Widow Faust, who landed in Manitoba in 1875

Contemporary Notables of the name Faust (post 1700) +

Gerard Anthony Faust (1935-2024), American high school and college football coach
James E. Faust (1920-2007), American leader of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
Drew Gilpin Faust (b. 1947), American historian and 28th president of Harvard University
Christa Faust (b. 1969), American author
Frederick Schiller Faust (1892-1944), American author, who used the pen name Max Brand
Lauren Faust (b. 1974), American animator
John Bernard Faust (b. 1898), American politician, U.S. Vice Consul in Buenos Aires, 1927; Asuncion, 1929; Paris, 1932; U.S. Consul in Santiago, 1936-40 5
John Faust (b. 1925), American politician, Candidate for Circuit Judge in Michigan 3rd Circuit, 1917; Recorder's court judge in Michigan, 1920-25 5
Jerry Faust, American politician, Mayor of St. Anthony, Minnesota; Elected 2011 5
Howard Faust, American Republican politician, Candidate in primary for Delegate to Michigan State Constitutional Convention from Lenawee County, 1961 5
... (Another 8 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Faust family +

Bismarck

Ernst Faust (1919-1941), German Funkgefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 6

Sources +

Kaganoff, Benzion C. A Dictionary of Jewish names and their history. Schocken Books, 1977. Digital
"What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
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)
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2016, March 18) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details