Berg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms
The ancient German region of the Rhineland, gave birth to the family name of Berg. At first, people used only a single name, but as the population grew and people began to travel, they began to find it necessary to take on an additional name to differentiate themselves. Fairly general principles guided the development of hereditary surnames in the Rhineland. Among the most common forms of surname found in the Rhineland are those that are derived from nicknames. Nickname surnames were derived from an "eke-name" or added name. They usually reflected the physical characteristics or attributes of the first person that used the name. The name was derived from the German word "burc," which means a "fortified town." The surname Berg was a name for a person who lived in a town.
Early Origins of the Berg family
The surname Berg was first found in the Rhineland, where this family name became a prominent contributor to the development of the district from ancient times. Always prominent in social affairs, the name became an integral part of that turbulent region as it emerged to form alliances with other families within the Feudal System and the nation.
Early History of the Berg family
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Berg research. Another 144 words (10 lines of text) covering the years 1100, 1540, 1550, 1556, 1573, 1579, 1589, 1599, 1716, 1763, 1765, 1834 and 1842 are included under the topic Early Berg History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Berg Spelling Variations
One can encounter great variation in the spelling of surnames: in early times, spelling in general, and thus the spelling of names was not yet standardized; and later, spellings would change with branching and movement of families. Variations of the name Berg include Berg, Bergh, Berghe, Bergg, Berge, Bergge, Burg, Burgh and many more.
Early Notables of the Berg family
Notables with the name Berg during this period were
- Adam Berg, a renowned music printer of Munich, whose publications extend from 1540 to about 1599. His great work was the 'Patrocinium musices,' published under the patronage of the Dukes of Bavaria, t...
- George Berg, a German by birth, was a pupil of Dr. Pepusch. In 1763 he gained the first prize medal awarded by the Catch Club for his glee 'On softest beds at leisure laid,' and obtained two other pri...
- Johann Berg was a music printer, born in Ghent, who set up a printing office in Nuremberg about 1550 in conjunction with Ulrich Neuber. After the death of Berg (about 1556) the office was carried on b...
- Dr. Guenther Heinrich von Berg, who received his noble title in Austria in 1834
Berg World Ranking
In the United States, the name Berg is the 759th most popular surname with an estimated 39,792 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Berg is ranked the 935th most popular surname with an estimated 5,813 people with that name. 2 And in France, the name Berg is the 4,353rd popular surname with an estimated 1,500 - 2,000 people with that name. 3 Netherlands ranks Berg as 181st with 6,573 people. 4
Berg migration to the United States +
Hundreds of thousands of Europeans, including many Rhinelanders, made the voyage to North America between the 17th and 20th centuries. It was an escape from religious persecution and poverty and also an opportunity for people to start over and own their own land. Most landed at Ellis Island, off New York before moving on to the states of Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, and California. Some also landed in Canada and settled in Ontario, while others headed west to the prairie provinces. A study of passenger and immigration lists has shown a number of people bearing the name of Berg, or one of its variants, reaching North America shores very early:
Berg Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
- Andreas Christ Berg, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1709 5
- Johan Henrig Berg, who landed in New York in 1709 5
- Kasper Berg, who landed in New York in 1709 5
- Frederick Berg, who arrived in America in 1709 5
- Tiel Berg, who landed in New York in 1709 5
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Berg Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
- Joh Berg, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1802 5
- Fr Berg, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1802 5
- Wilh Berg, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1807 5
- Balthazar Berg, who landed in Maryland in 1834 5
- Belthassar Berg, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1838 5
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Berg Settlers in United States in the 20th Century
- Friedrich Berg, aged 50, who arrived in New York, NY in 1901 5
- Adam Berg, aged 8, who arrived in New York, NY in 1901 5
- Christina Berg, aged 15, who landed in America in 1901 5
- Karolina Berg, aged 9, who landed in New York, NY in 1901 5
- Katherina Berg, aged 20, who arrived in America in 1901 5
- ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Berg migration to Canada +
Some of the first settlers of this family name were:
Berg Settlers in Canada in the 19th Century
- Johann Simon Berg, who arrived in Quebec in 1850
- Cornelius Berg, who arrived in Manitoba in 1875
- Jacob Berg, who landed in Manitoba in 1875
- Johan Berg, who landed in Manitoba in 1876
- William Berg, who arrived in Manitoba in 1878
Contemporary Notables of the name Berg (post 1700) +
- Pearl Louise Berg (1909-2024), American supercentenarian and, at the time of her death, the oldest living Jewish person
- Paul Berg (1926-2023), American biochemist and professor emeritus at Stanford University, recipient of the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1980
- Nancy Berg (1931-2022), American model and actress who appeared on the front cover of Vogue four times and was Esquire's "Lady Fair" for May of 1956
- Richard Harvey Berg (1943-2019), American wargame designer, and recipient of the Charles S. Roberts Hall of Fame Award in 1987
- Einsley Delmer "Del" Berg (1915-2016), American soldier and union organizer who lived to be 100 years old, veteran of the Spanish Civil War
- John Hendrickson Berg (1932-2015), American art director who worked at Columbia Records from 1961 to 1985; he designed four Grammy Award-winning album covers: The Barbra Streisand Album (1968), Bob Dylan's Greatest Hits (1968), Underground (1969), and Chicago X (1977)
- Morris "Moe" Berg (1902-1972), American catcher and coach in Major League Baseball and recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom
- Tony Berg (b. 1954), American guitarist, father of Elizabeth Berg
- Shelly Berg (b. 1955), American jazz pianist and educator
- Elizabeth Berg (b. 1986), American singer with The Like, daughter of Tony Berg
- ... (Another 6 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Historic Events for the Berg family +
Bismarck
- Otto Berg (1918-1941), German Maschinengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 6
- Mathias Berg (1922-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 6
- Hans-Joachim Berg (1920-1941), German Matrosengefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 6
Suggested Readings for the name Berg +
- The Hans Hanson Berg Family History by Nancy Stout Larson.
- A Line of Descendants and Ancestors of Josiah Burge (including the Berg Family) a Revolutionary Patriot by Joan A. Hoelaars.
Citations +
- "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
- "Surnames Meanings, Origins & Distribution Maps - Forebears." Forebears, https://forebears.io/surnames
- http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
- "Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
- Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
- Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details