Bergmann Surname: Origin and Coat of Arms
What does Bergmann mean, and where does it come from? Here is a brief introduction.
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Origin of the Bergmann name
Bergmann has two meanings. It is a topographic name for someone who lived on a mountain or hill, from Middle High German berc, "mountain", and man, and also an occupational name for a miner, Bergmann being the standard German word for a mine worker. The name is found throughout Germany and Austria, and Bergman is the usual Scandinavian and Jewish spelling.
Mountain man or miner
Bergmann combines Berg, "mountain", and Mann, "man". It could describe someone who lived on a hillside, but in German it is also the ordinary word for a miner, so in mining regions such as the Harz and the Erzgebirge the name often marks a family in that trade. The single-n Bergman is the usual Swedish, Dutch and American form.
Forebears estimates about 63,000 Bergmanns in Germany, rank 90th, with smaller groups in Brazil, Austria, Israel and Denmark. The 2010 US Census counted 4,988 with the double n. The surgeon Ernst von Bergmann, a pioneer of aseptic surgery, and the anatomist Carl Bergmann, after whom Bergmann's rule in biology is named, are notable bearers.
Our historical archives hold much more on the Bergmann name: dates, names and records of early bearers.
This overview covers the Bergmann name in Germany. We also hold records of the name in other countries, such as the United States, Austria and Sweden; your full pack is researched for your family's country of origin.
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Your full Bergmann pack adds the researched history, early records and migration. Order your pack and our heraldry team researches and paints the Bergmann coat of arms for you.
Bergmann name FAQ
What does the Bergmann name mean?
Mountain dweller; miner. Common variants include Bergman, Bergner, Berger.
Where does the Bergmann surname come from?
It originates in Germany, and is also found in the United States, Austria and Sweden.
Is there a Bergmann coat of arms?
Arms were granted to individuals, not whole surnames, so there is no single Bergmann crest. Herald Lab paints a personalized Bergmann coat of arms based on historic heraldry.
What does Bergmann mean?
"Mountain man"; in German it also means a miner.
Is Bergman the same as Bergmann?
Yes, Bergman is the single-n spelling used in Sweden, the Netherlands and the US.
Explore the Bergmann name further
Two companion pages go further: Bergmann family history and genealogy, with the records to search, and famous people named Bergmann.
Researched by Herald Lab Research Studio, since 1993. Sources: Duden Familiennamen; Dictionary of American Family Names (Oxford). Facts and figures: Forebears surname distribution (estimates); US Census Bureau, 2010 surname file; Wikipedia, "Bergmann". Forebears figures are modelled estimates, rounded.