Show ContentsBurg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Etymology of Burg

What does the name Burg mean?

The surname Burg comes from the Middle Dutch word "burch," or "burg," meaning a fortified town. The prefixes "Van" and "den" mean "from" and "the" respectively. Thus this surname means "from the hill". As such, it may have been topographic name for someone who lived by a citadel or walled city; or, it may have been a habitational name, taken on from a place name, such as Burch in South Holland or Burcht in Antwerp province, Belgium.

Early Origins of the Burg family

The surname Burg was first found in Holland, in Utrecht, a city and capital of the province of Utrecht. One old family-branch descends from the counts of Bergh, beginning with Constantius de Monte in the 12th century. There was a separate line of counts Van den Berghs in the 16th century.

Early History of the Burg family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Burg research. Another 58 words (4 lines of text) covering the years 1627, 1636, 1640, 1664 and 1755 are included under the topic Early Burg History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Burg Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Burger, Burgen, Burg, Van Burg, Van Burger, Van Burgen, Van den Burger, Van den Burg, Van der Burg, Van den Burgh and many more.

Early Notables of the Burg family

From this era of Dutch history, those of this who distinguished themselves included

  • Johan van der Burg (d. 1640), Dutch Governor of Formosa from 1636 to 1640

Burg Ranking

In the United States, the name Burg is the 6,930th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1 However, in France, the name Burg is ranked the 7,205th most popular surname with an estimated 1,000 - 1,500 people with that name. 2


Burg migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Burg Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Joh Heinrich Burg, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1748 3
  • Johan Christian Burg, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1752 3
  • Christian Burg, who landed in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1752 3
  • Jacob Burg, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1771 3
  • Elisabetha Margaretha Burg, who arrived in America in 1792 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)
Burg Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • John Henry Burg, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1819 3
  • Lewis Burg, aged 28, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1832 3
  • John Burg, aged 1, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1832 3
  • Elizabeth Burg, aged 3, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1832 3
  • Susan Burg, aged 27, who landed in Mobile, Ala in 1832 3
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Burg (post 1700) +

  • William Ecclesin Burg, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Assembly from New York County 10th District, 1921 4
  • Quinten L. Burg, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for South Dakota State House of Representatives 22nd District, 2010 4
  • James Burg, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate in primary for Governor of South Dakota, 1994; Delegate to Democratic National Convention from South Dakota, 1996, 2004, 2008 4
  • George O. Burg, American politician, Member of South Dakota State House of Representatives, 1943-54, 1957-58 4
  • Ieke van den Burg (b. 1952), Dutch politician, member of the European Parliament
  • W. Burg Anstine, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1960 (alternate), 1972 5


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. http://www.journaldesfemmes.com/nom-de-famille/nom/
  3. 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)
  4. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 29) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
  5. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 23) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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