Meaning and history
Thurstan is a medieval English form of the Old Norse name Þórsteinn, combining Þórr, the name of the Norse thunder god Thor, with steinn, “stone.” It was introduced to England by Scandinavian settlers and remained in use after the Norman Conquest. Its most prominent historical bearer was Thurstan, the twelfth-century archbishop of York who defended the independence of his see and helped organize English resistance at the Battle of the Standard.