Custer

Custer is also recorded as 4 other names, grouped separately because the records behind them do not connect to the one described above.

• a separate name2 spellings in the group

  Also written Cüster

• German surname4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Germany, United States, Austria, Switzerland

  Languages: German, English

  Also written Cuester, Cüster

• Greek surname4 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Greece, United States

  Also written Kaster, Caster, Καστερ

• Russian given name11 spellings in the group

  Most recorded in Kazakhstan, United States, Russia, Ukraine

  Languages: Russian, Ukrainian

  Also written Кастер, Caster, Kaster, Кастёр

39 further groups record this spelling and are not listed here.

Grouping is the name graph's, not a register's: two spellings join a group when the evidence links them, so a group is a claim about the records rather than about the people.

Custer is also recorded in 3 other lexicons, as a different name or as an ordinary word. These are senses of the spelling, not of the name above.

• In English, from OFr coustier / coustiere, 'a maker of feather-beds or cushions'; first attested Sibilla la Custere 1254 AssSt

  as a name·A Dictionary of English Surnames

• In English, A surname. occupational name from Old French coustier (masculine) coustiere (feminine) for a maker of feather beds or cushions.

  as a word·kaikki.org Wiktionary extract (IPA + transliterations)

• In Croatian, jedini general američke konjice koji je poginuo u borbi protiv Indijanaca zajedno sa svih 200 svojih vojnika koje je vodio u bici kod Little Big Horna

  as a word·Hrvatski jezični portal (HJP) dictionary export

Ordered by how much of this spelling's record each language holds, so a sense from a language the name is barely used in sits last rather than first.

• George Armstrong Custerb. 1839USUnited States cavalry commander (1839–1876)
• Elizabeth Bacon Custerb. 1842USWife of General Custer (1842–1933)
• Thomas Custerb. 1845US1845-1876 United States Army Medal of Honor recipient
• Boston Custerb. 1848USBrother of George Armstrong Custer
• Bob Custerb. 1898USAmerican actor (1898-1974)
• Walter Custerb. 1909CHSwiss architect (1909-1992)
• Dorothy Custerb. 1911USAmateur entertainer
• Carlos Custerb. 1939ARArgentinian politician
• Brett Custerb. 1968AUAustralian tennis player (1968-)
• Cole Custerb. 1998USAmerican racing driver (born 1998)

The ten people covered by the most Wikipedia language editions — a proxy for cross-cultural notability, which favours historical and Western figures over equally prominent contemporary ones — shown by birth year. Source: Wikidata (CC0).

Register rows as of the 2026-10-09 data build.

What does the name Custer mean, and where does it come from?

An anglicization of the German surname Koster or Kiister, literally 'sexton'. Recorded by Encyclopedia of surnames [the complete companion to tracing your names history].

How do you pronounce Custer?

A machine transcription gives /kəsʈə/ (IPA) for English.

In which country does Custer have the most bearers?

In the United States, the national register counted about 11 thousand people named Custer, more than in any other country we hold, where it is most often spelled custer.

Where is Custer most common?

Custer is densest in the United States, where the national register counts about 1 in 31 thousand people carrying it.

How common is the name Custer?

In the United States, the national register counted 10,790 people named Custer in 2010, about 1 in 31 thousand residents.