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Berger History Etymology Spelling Variations World Ranking

Contemporary Notables Historic Events Related Stories Suggested Reading Citations

Berger History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands-Alt
Netherlands
England
France
Germany
Israel

Etymology of Berger

What does the name Berger mean?

The name Berger is a proud symbol of an ancient Jewish culture that began at least 3,000 years ago with the patriarch Abraham.

In the biblical period no ancient civilizations used surnames. After the Jewish nations of Israel and Judah were taken over by other cultures, Jews began to assume the personal names and the languages of the ruling cultures with a greater degree of frequency.

The word German word "berg" means 'hill'. One derivation for the name Berger is for "one coming from Berg (hilly place)," and, therefore, can be considered a place name. For some families, however, particularly those of a Galician heritage, it was a patronymic name, as the male, Hebrew, derived from the given name of Barukh (which over the years evolved into the form Berger).

Berger Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Berger, Berg, Bergman and more. and others.

Berger World Ranking

In the United States, the name Berger is the 881^st most popular surname with an estimated 34,818 people with that name. 1 However, in Canada, the name Berger is ranked the 983^rd most popular surname with an estimated 5,510 people with that name. 2 And in Quebec, Canada, the name Berger is the 766^th popular surname. 3 France ranks Berger as 115^th with 25,157 people. 4 Netherlands ranks Berger as 686^th with 2,719 people. 5

Berger migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Berger Settlers in United States in the 18th Century

Kornelis Reusner Berger, who landed in New York in 1709 6
Hans Berger, who arrived in America in 1732 6
Johannes Berger, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1738 6
Casper Berger, age 30, who arrived in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania in 1738
Peter Berger, age 50, who arrived in Philadelphia in 1740
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Berger Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Benedict Berger, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1803 6
Barbara Berger, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1803 6
Anna Maria Berger, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1803 6
Elizabeth Berger, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1803 6
Michel Berger, who arrived in Pennsylvania in 1803 6
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Berger Settlers in United States in the 20th Century

Mr. John S. Berger, (b. 1876), aged 29, Cornish miner, from Camborne, Cornwall, UK travelling aboard the ship "Umbria" arriving at Ellis Island, New York on 30th July 1905 en route to the United States 7
Harry Berger, who landed in Alabama in 1917 6
Karl Frederick Albert Berger, who landed in Alabama in 1917 6

Berger migration to Canada +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Berger Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Jacob Berger, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1749
Philip Berger, who landed in Nova Scotia in 1757

Berger migration to Australia +

Emigration to Australia followed the First Fleets of convicts, tradespeople and early settlers. Early immigrants include:

Berger Settlers in Australia in the 19th Century

Charles W. Berger, aged 30, a farmer, who arrived in South Australia in 1848 aboard the ship "Alfred" 8
George Berger, aged 40, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1849 9
Mary Berger, aged 38, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1849 9
Augustus Berger, aged 6, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1849 9
Edwin Berger, aged 3, who arrived in Adelaide, Australia aboard the ship "Prince Regent" in 1849 9
... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Berger (post 1700) +

Norma A. Berger Taylor (1932-2023), American baseball pitcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League during the 1950 season
Wolfgang "Wolf" Helmut Berger (1937-2017), German-American oceanographer, geologist, micropaleontologist and emeritus professor at the Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California
Barbara Berger (1930-2016), American baseball catcher who played in the All-American Girls Professional Baseball League
Samuel Richard "Sandy" Berger (1945-2015), American political consultant, United States National Security Advisor (1997-2001)
Samuel Berger (1884-1925), American gold Olympic medalist for boxing at the 1904 games
Peter Ludwig Berger (b. 1929), American (Austrian born) sociologist and theologian
Thomas Berger (b. 1924), American novelist, best known for his novels "Crazy in Berlin" (1958) and "Little Big Man" (1964)
Charles W. Berger, American Democratic Party politician, Member of Kentucky State Senate 17th District, 1980- 10
Charles E. Berger, American Republican politician, Delegate to Republican National Convention from Pennsylvania, 1916 10
Carl Berger, American Democratic Party politician, Candidate for New York State Senate 2nd District, 1920 10
... (Another 55 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Historic Events for the Berger family +

Bismarck

Walter Berger (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 11
Johannes Berger (1921-1941), German Funkgefreiter who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 11
Albert Berger (1921-1941), German Matrose who served aboard the German Battleship Bismarck during World War II when it was sunk heading to France; he died in the sinking 11

Triangle Waist Company

Mrs. Yetta Berger (b. 1893), "nee Rechtschafer", Austrian Jewish garment worker who was working at Triangle Waist Company factory at the Asch building in Greenwich Village on the 25th March 1911 when fire broke out; she died in the fire 12

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
"The first 1,000 family names by rank, Quebec (in French only)" Institut de la statistique du Quebec, https://statistique.quebec.ca/en/document/family-names-in-quebec/tableau/the-first-1000-family-names-by-rank-quebec
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)
Cornwall Online Parish Clerks. (Retreived 3rd May 2018). Retrieved from http://www.opc-cornwall.org/Resc/pdfs/emigration_ellis_island_1892_on.pdf
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) ALFRED 1848. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1848Alfred.htm
State Records of South Australia. (Retrieved 2010, November 5) "PRINCE REGENT" 1849. Retrieved from http://www.slsa.sa.gov.au/BSA/1849PrinceRegent.htm
The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 4) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html
Bismarck & Tirpitz Class - Crew List Bismarck. (Retrieved 2018, February 06). Retrieved from https://www.bismarck-class.dk/bismarck/crew/bismarck_crew.html#crew_details
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire (retrieved on 3rd August 2021.) Retrieved from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Triangle_Shirtwaist_Factory_fire