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oESTREICHER, OSTRIKER
Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name. This family name is a toponymic (derived from a geographic name of a town, city, region or country). Surnames that are based on place names do not always testify to direct origin from that place, but may indicate an indirect relation between the namebearer or his ancestors and the place, such as birth place, temporary residence, trade, or familyrelatives.
Oesterreich means "Austria" in German. Jews probably lived there under the Roman occupation; their presence in the country is documented since the 9th century. Several Jewish family names are derived from the German term for "Austria". Oesterreicher ("Austrian") is recorded in 1681 with Elias and Israel Oesterreicher, who visited the Leipzig fair in Germany that year; Oesterreich in 1697 with the schoolmaster Abraham Oesterreich, in Frankfurt am Main; and Oestreich in 1744, with Max Oestreich, in Mannheim, Germany. Yiddish forms of the name include Estraich and Estrajch, Estraicher, Oistraich and Ojstrach, Ostriker and Oistreich. The Hungarian equivalent is Osztrak. In the early 20th century, Oesterreicher was Frenchified to Ostier, and in the mid 20th century, another Oesterreicher in France, dropping the first two syllables of his name, became Richer.
Oestreicher is a spelling variant of Oesterreicher, and a Yiddish equivalent is Ostriker.
Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Oesterreicher include the Hungarian physician Jozsef Manes Oesterreicher (1756-1832), the first Jew to receive the degree of M.D. In Hungary,
and the Moravian-born Austrian Admiral Ludwig Tobias (Tobias Jacob) Oesterreicher (1831- 1893). Copyright © Beth Hatefutsoth The Memi De-Shalit Database of Jewish Family Names OESTERREICHER Unit Id#: 89524