BASTIN
Bastin is a surname of French origin that has evolved through various linguistic and geographical influences. The name is ultimately derived from the Old French personal name Bastien or Bastin, a diminutive of Sébastien, itself taken from the Greek Sebastianos, meaning venerable or revered. Consequently the surname can be understood to signify son of Bastien or descendant of Sébastien.
In Britain the surname is recorded chiefly in England, where it is borne in the English language and within Christian communities. Several early medieval documents document the name in various spellings: Richard Bastun appears in the Assize Court rolls of Northamptonshire in 1203; Colin Baystin is listed in the Patent Rolls of 1225; and Nicholas Baston is noted in the Hundred Rolls of 1279. These examples demonstrate a long-established presence in the British Isles.
There are at least three plausible sources for the surname within England. One hypothesis is locational, relating the name to places such as Baston in Lincolnshire, first mentioned in the Pipe Rolls of 1191, or Bayston in Shropshire, recorded in the Domesday Book of 1086 as Begestan, and Bayton in Worcestershire, likewise meaning Beaga's farm. A second possibility is that the surname arose from the Old French word bastun, meaning a stick, introduced by the Normans after 1066; this could have been a nickname for a thin person or, in the humour of the medieval period, even the opposite. The third theory treats Bastin as a modern derivative of the popular given name Sebastian and its English forms Bastian, Bastan, Basten and Baston.
Outside of England, the surname Bastin is chiefly recorded in Belgium, France and the Netherlands. In France it is concentrated in the northern part of the country, with a notable frequency in the Alsace region. The Dutch province of Zeeland hosts over four thousand individuals bearing the name, and the Flemish area of Belgium contains more than one thousand. In Belgium it is also occasionally written in spelling forms such as Bastien or Bastienne, the latter stemming from the Flemish/Dutch word bastienne, which can denote a protrusion, protuberance or a feature of the landscape. The surname may also be linked to the Dutch personal name Bastijn, a diminutive of the Hebrew Bartholomeus, meaning son of Talmai.
The modern usage of Bastin remains relatively uncommon. While the name appears sporadically in the United States and Canada, these bearers are usually descendants of more recent European immigrants. It is a surname that illustrates the complex layers of linguistic evolution, migration and social identification that are common to many family names.
In Scots historical records, Bastin is also recorded as an archaic term for a rough coat or garment composed of many colours, underscoring the name’s multifaceted nature across languages and regions.
Typical given names associated with the Bastin surname
Male
- Andrew
- Christopher
- David
- George
- James
- John
- Mark
- Michael
- Paul
- Peter
- Robert
- Stephen
Female
- Claire
- Emma
- Gemma
- Helen
- Jacqueline
- Julia
- Margaret
- Nicola
- Patricia
- Rachel
- Sarah
- Sophie
- Susan
Similar and related surnames
- Basten
- Bastien
- Bastion
- Bastian
- Bastain
- Bastani
- Basin
- Bast
- Bastein
- Basstone
- Bastan
- Basti
- Bastia
- Bastine
- Bastiaan
- Bastiani
- Bastie
- Basting
- Bastings
- Bastoin
- Bastone
- Bastoni
- Bastyn
- Baystone
- Beastin
- Beestin
- Beesting
- Baiston
- Bastam
- Bastenie
- Bastiana
- Bastians
- Bastic
- Bastid
- Bastiman
- Bastit
- Baston
- Bastounis
- Basty
- Bastyan
- Bayston
- Besti
- Bestone
- Bostin
- Boustin
- Bustin
- Basden
- Bastick
- Beeston
Related and similar names are generated algorithmically based on the spelling, and may not necessarily share an etymology.
How to communicate the surname Bastin in...
Braille
⠃⠁⠎⠞⠊⠝
Morse
-....-...-..-.
Semaphore
There are approximately 1,126 people named Bastin in the UK. That makes it roughly the 6,736th most common surname in Britain. Around 17 in a million people in Britain are named Bastin.
Origin: English
Region of origin: British Isles
Country of origin: England
Religion of origin: Christian
Language of origin: English
Famous people named Bastin
- Cliff Bastin - Football player (1912 to 1991)
- Bruce Bastin - Folklorist
Names and descriptions courtesy of Wikipedia, and may contain errors. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list of every famous person with this name.