Kjærstad

Kjærstad is a Norwegian surname and place name. It originates from farm names, following a common Norwegian pattern in which a family's surname was derived from the farm on which they lived. The name combines kjær, a word meaning dear or beloved in Norwegian, with sted, a term meaning place or homestead and closely related to the Old Norse staðr. The compound may have signified either “the dear place” or referred to a particular farm named Kjærstad.

In contemporary usage, Kjærstad is most often found in Norway, particularly among families with historical ties to rural communities where a farm named Kjærstad once stood. The surname is less common internationally but may appear in Norwegian diaspora communities. The spelling Kjærstad is the standard modern form; regional orthography has produced minor variants in historical records.

As a placename, Kjærstad survives in several rural locales across Norway, where it denotes farmsteads or small districts. The current status of these places varies, but the name remains part of local toponymy.

Overall, Kjærstad illustrates the typical Norwegian practice of deriving surnames from place names, preserving historical connections between families and their places of origin.