BERGMAN Origin of surname
BERG, BERGMAN, BERGMANN
Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name.
Berg, literally "mountain" in German/Yiddish, is an element commonly found in artificial Jewish family names, i.e. names that do not refer to any feature of the first bearer of the family name, as a prefix (Bergstein) or a suffix (Goldberg). Jews are known to have lived since the 13th century in the former Duchy and Grand Duchy of Berg in Westphalia. Berg is found in many German place names, such as Nuremberg. Thus, surnames including the suffix "-berg" can be toponymic surnames (derived from a place of origin or residence).
This family name may also derive from an occupation (also connected with raw material, finished product or implements associated with that trade). The form Bergman (literally "mountain man" in German) is an occupational name for a "miner" in German.
In some cases, Berg is also a Hebrew acronym (a name created from the initial letters of a Hebrew phrase, and which refers to a relative, lineage or occupation) of Ben Rabi Gershon ("son of Rabbi Gershon").
Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Berg include the German critic Leo Berg (1862-1908), a pioneer of naturalism; the American actress Gertrude Berg (1899-1966); and the 20th century journalist Roger Berg, editor of the Paris monthly 'Journal De Communautes' and the quarterly 'Les Lettres Juives'.
Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Bergmann include the 19th/20th century Bohemian-born Israeli philosopher, educator and author Hugo (Samuel) Bergmann and the Galician-born Israeli rabbi and author Juda Bergsmann (1874-1954).
Distinguished 20th century bearers of the Jewish surname Bergman include the Canadian-born Israeli nurse and educator Professor Rebecca Bergman; her late husband Professor Shimon Bergman (Poland 1913-Israel 1999), a world famous gerontologist and founder of research on aging in Israel; and the Israeli physicist and educator David J. Bergman.
Surnames derive from one of many different origins. Sometimes there may be more than one explanation for the same name.
Berg, literally "mountain" in German/Yiddish, is an element commonly found in artificial Jewish family names, i.e. names that do not refer to any feature of the first bearer of the family name, as a prefix (Bergstein) or a suffix (Goldberg). Jews are known to have lived since the 13th century in the former Duchy and Grand Duchy of Berg in Westphalia. Berg is found in many German place names, such as Nuremberg. Thus, surnames including the suffix "-berg" can be toponymic surnames (derived from a place of origin or residence).
This family name may also derive from an occupation (also connected with raw material, finished product or implements associated with that trade). The form Bergman (literally "mountain man" in German) is an occupational name for a "miner" in German.
In some cases, Berg is also a Hebrew acronym (a name created from the initial letters of a Hebrew phrase, and which refers to a relative, lineage or occupation) of Ben Rabi Gershon ("son of Rabbi Gershon").
Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Berg include the German critic Leo Berg (1862-1908), a pioneer of naturalism; the American actress Gertrude Berg (1899-1966); and the 20th century journalist Roger Berg, editor of the Paris monthly 'Journal De Communautes' and the quarterly 'Les Lettres Juives'.
Distinguished bearers of the Jewish family name Bergmann include the 19th/20th century Bohemian-born Israeli philosopher, educator and author Hugo (Samuel) Bergmann and the Galician-born Israeli rabbi and author Juda Bergsmann (1874-1954).
Distinguished 20th century bearers of the Jewish surname Bergman include the Canadian-born Israeli nurse and educator Professor Rebecca Bergman; her late husband Professor Shimon Bergman (Poland 1913-Israel 1999), a world famous gerontologist and founder of research on aging in Israel; and the Israeli physicist and educator David J. Bergman.