Spielburg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Germany

Etymology of Spielburg

What does the name Spielburg mean?

Medieval Austria is the ancient homeland of the Spielburg family. Austria, which was originally home to a Celtic people, was conquered by the Roman Empire in about 15 BC. Following the fall of Rome, Austria was repeatedly invaded by barbarian tribes, such as the Vandals, Visigoths, and Huns, who swept in from the east. During the 5th and 6th centuries, the Alemanni, Avars and Slavs settled Austria. The Avars were defeated in 785 by the Frankish emperor Charlemagne, who set up the East Mark, which later became known as the Österreich. Austria was ruled by the Babenburger dynasty until 1278, when they were succeeded by the Hapsburg dynasty, which ruled Austria until the 20th century.

Early Origins of the Spielburg family

The surname Spielburg was first found in Austria, where the name was anciently associated with the tribal conflicts of the area. They declared allegiances to many nobles and princes of early history, lending their influence in struggles for power and status within the region. They had their noble seat in the 12th century at the fortified castle Spillburg on an island in the Danube river. Eberhard Spielberg sold the castle to Kaiser Rudolph I in the second half of the 13th century. They branched into many houses, and their contributions were sought by many leaders in their search for power.

Early History of the Spielburg family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Spielburg research. Another 94 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1652 and 1700 are included under the topic Early Spielburg History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Spielburg Spelling Variations

In the medieval era, many different cultural groups lived in the German states. There are thus many regional variations of German surnames from that era. Westphalians spoke Low German, which is similar to modern Dutch. Many German names carry suffixes that identify where they came from. Others have phrases attached that identify something about the original bearer. Other variations in German names resulted from the fact that medieval scribes worked without the aid of any spelling rules. The spelling variations of the name Spielburg include Spielburg, Spielberg, Spielberger, Spielburger, Spielenberg, Spielbergen, Spillberg, Spillsberg and many more.

Early Notables of the Spielburg family

During this period prominent bearers of the name Spielburg were Adriana Spilberg (1652-1700), a Dutch Golden Age painter; and Eberhard Spielberg, a knight and a Baron, who was the...
Another 29 words (2 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Spielburg Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Migration of the Spielburg family

Austria was made a republic after the First World War. The Austro-Hungarian Empire was broken up by the Treaty of Versailles and many of its people found themselves in the new nation of Czechoslovakia. Many other Austrians and expatriate Austrians made their way to North America in the 20th century. Most landed in Philadelphia, later continuing on to the states of Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, New York, and Maryland. Some Austrian settlers also went to western Canada and Ontario. Research into the origins of individual families in North America revealed records of the immigration of a number of people bearing the name Spielburg or a variant listed above: Johann Spielberger, who settled in Georgia in 1735. Joseph Spielberger came to Philadelphia in 1832; as did Lewis Spielberger in 1837 and David Spielberger in 1868..