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Ostwalds

Ostwalds is the plural form of the surname Ostwald and is used to refer to multiple people who share that name. The surname is of German origin and is toponymic, derived from places named Ostwald in German-speaking regions. The elements ost and wald are typically understood to mean “east” and “forest,” respectively, indicating a residence near an eastern forest.

In usage, Ostwalds appears in biographical or genealogical contexts when listing several individuals with the name

The surname is found in German-speaking areas and among diaspora communities resulting from migration, including parts

Ostwald.
The
most
prominent
bearer
is
Wilhelm
Ostwald
(1853–1932),
a
Baltic
German
chemist
who
received
the
Nobel
Prize
in
Chemistry
in
1909
for
his
investigations
into
catalysis,
chemical
equilibria,
and
reaction
rates.
Ostwald
was
a
central
figure
in
the
development
of
physical
chemistry,
and
his
name
is
associated
with
concepts
and
processes
such
as
the
Ostwald
process
for
producing
nitric
acid
and
Ostwald
ripening,
a
phenomenon
describing
the
growth
of
larger
particles
at
the
expense
of
smaller
ones.
of
the
Baltic
region,
areas
of
France
due
to
historical
borders,
and
communities
in
the
Americas.
Today,
Ostwalds
is
encountered
mainly
in
genealogical,
biographical,
and
historical
discussions
about
the
surname
and
its
bearers.