Eostre

EE-struh, OO-struh

Old English from German

"dawn"

Eostre Origin and Meaning

The name Eostre is a girl's name meaning "dawn".

Eostre is the Anglo-Saxon goddess of Spring and dawn. In ancient times, the pagans had festivals and feasts celebrating Eostre, but this practice was eventually overtaken by the Christian Easter holiday. The connection between the traditions is evident today in cultures that speak English and Germanic languages, as the name Easter is derived from Eostre. Most other languages derive the name of the holiday from the Hebrew word Pesach, meaning "Passover."

Eostre's origins are in a Proto-Germanic root meaning "dawn," from which we also get the modern English word "east." Ostara is the theorized Germanic name for the goddess.