Vanderberg History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands-Alt
Netherlands
Germany

Etymology of Vanderberg

What does the name Vanderberg mean?

The ancient German region of the Rhineland, gave birth to the family name of Vanderberg. 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 Vanderberg was a name for a person who lived in a town.

Early Origins of the Vanderberg family

The surname Vanderberg 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 Vanderberg family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Vanderberg 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 Vanderberg History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vanderberg 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 Vanderberg include Berg, Bergh, Berghe, Bergg, Berge, Bergge, Burg, Burgh and many more.

Early Notables of the Vanderberg family

Notables with the name Vanderberg 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, the first volume of which appeared in 1573. After the death of Duke Albrecht V, in 1579, the publication was interrupted, and not resumed till 1589, when the second series appeared, also containing five volumes. 1 George Berg, a German by birth, was a pupil of Dr. Pepusch. In 1763 he gained the first prize medal awarded by...
Another 97 words (7 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Vanderberg Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Vanderberg Ranking

In Netherlands, the name Vanderberg is the 16^th most popular surname with an estimated 32,887 people with that name. 2 However, in South Africa, the name Vanderberg is ranked the 612^nd most popular surname with an estimated 11,297 people with that name. 3

Vanderberg migration to the United States +

The great European flow of migration to North America, which began in the middle of the 17th century and continued into the 20th century, was particularly attractive to those from the Rhineland who wished to escape either poverty or religious persecution. Many of those who left the Rhineland to seek their fortunes in the prosperous and free New World settled in the major urban centers of the United States and Canada. In the United States, the settlers from the Rhineland passed through immigration centers like that of Ellis Island, most of them moving on to Pennsylvania, Ohio, Texas, Illinois, California, and New York. In Canada, the majority of Rhinelanders settled in Ontario and the prairie provinces. An examination of passenger and immigration lists has revealed many important settlers to North America bearing the name Vanderberg, or one of its variants above:

Vanderberg Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

J Vanderberg, who arrived in San Francisco, California in 1851 4
Epke Vanderberg, who landed in Iowa in 1887 4

Sources +

Grove, Sir George, A Dictionary of Music and Musicians (AD. 1450-1889) London: Macmillan1902, Print, 2 Vols
"Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
"Most Common Last Names in South Africa." Forebears, https://forebears.io/south-africa/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)