Geist : 1: German: in most cases a distorted form of Geiss ‘goat’ a metonymic occupational name for a goatherd or nickname for a stubborn person from Middle High German geiz ‘goat’.2: German: topographic or habitational name referring to a house marked by the sign of the Holy Spirit (normally depicted as a dove) from Middle High German geist ‘spirit’. Both Geist and Heilgeist occur as house signs in Frankfurt am Main in the mid 14th century.3: North German: topographic name for someone who lived in an area of barren sandy soil Middle Low German gēst.
Source : DAFN2 : Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, ©2022 by Patrick Hanks and Oxford University Press
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