Strouse
A surname most likely from a German or Yiddish name related to “ostrich” or a nickname for a lively, strutting person.
The #8,350 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 77,887 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Strouse is generally treated as a Germanic surname, often linked to German "Strauss" or related Yiddish forms. In that tradition, the underlying word can mean "ostrich," and surnames of this type were sometimes first used as nicknames rather than as literal references to the bird. In some cases the name may also reflect a variant spelling shaped by immigration and English-language recordkeeping.
History
The surname appears in North American records in several spelling forms, especially among families of German-Jewish or German-speaking background. As with many immigrant surnames, its spelling could shift after arrival in English-speaking countries, which helps explain forms like Strouse alongside Strauss and Stroos/Straus-type variants. The name is not especially common, but it has remained recognizable in the U.S. through the 19th and 20th centuries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same German word behind some of these surnames is also the source of the famous composer name Johann Strauss.