Show ContentsSchonberger History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The surname Schonberger is a toponymic local name; it is derived from a feature of the physical geography where the original bearer lived or held land. In this case it is derived from the German words schoene, which means beautiful, and berg, which means hill.

Early Origins of the Schonberger family

The surname Schonberger was first found in Saxony, where the name was closely identified in early mediaeval times with the feudal society which would become prominent throughout European history.

However, we must look to the Netherlands to find the first record of the family. For it is there that Annian de Schonau (d. 1293), was Bishop of St. Asaph, and is said to have been a native of Schoonau in the Netherlands. Another source claims that "Schoonau is in the diocese of Treves, conjectured that he was a native of Schoonhoven in Holland. Anian was a Dominican friar, and is possibly the Friar Anian who preached the crusade in West Wales in 1236." 1

Early History of the Schonberger family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Schonberger research. Another 207 words (15 lines of text) covering the years 1290, 1615, 1687, 1689 and 1690 are included under the topic Early Schonberger History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Schonberger Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Schoenburger, Schoenburg, Schoenenburg, Schonburg and many more.

Early Notables of the Schonberger family

Prominent bearers of the family name Schonberger at this time were the famous Count Friedrich von Schoenberg (1615-1690), also known as "Schomberg", who, among his many tiles, was Count von Mertola...
Another 30 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Schonberger Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.


United States Schonberger migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Schonberger Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Balthasar Schonberger, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1732
  • Elizabeth Schonberger, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1785
Schonberger Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mr. Eduard Schonberger, aged 17, German settler who arrived in New York in 1893 aboard the ship "Dania" 2

Contemporary Notables of the name Schonberger (post 1700) +

  • Marcia Schonberger, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Connecticut Democratic State Central Committee, 1977 3
  • Georg Schönberger (1911-1943), German Obersturmbannführer in the Waffen-SS, recipient of the Knight's Cross of the Iron Cross
  • Thomas Schönberger (b. 1986), Austrian professional association football player


  1. Smith, George (ed), Dictionary of National Biography. London: Smith, Elder & Co., 1885-1900. Print
  2. Germans to America retrieved 21st October 2021. Retrieved from Glazier, Ira. A., and Filby, P. William. Germans to America: Lists of Passengers Arriving at U.S. Ports. Vol. 62, Scholarly Resources Inc, 2003
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 22) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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