Explore the Family Name Berg
The meaning of Berg
1. German and Dutch: topographic name for someone who lived on or by a hill or mountain, from Middle High German berc, Middle Dutch berghe. This surname is also found in some other parts of Europe, e.g. in France (Alsace and Lorraine) and Poland. Compare Dutch Vandenberg. 2. Norwegian and Danish: habitational name from a farmstead named with Old Norse bjarg ‘mountain, hill’. 3. Swedish: topographic or ornamental name from berg ‘mountain, hill’, or a habitational name from a place called Berg or from a placename containing the word berg. The surname, which is also found in Finland, may also be of German origin (see 1 above). 4. Jewish (Ashkenazic): artificial name from German Berg ‘mountain, hill’, or a short form of any of the many artificial surnames containing this word as the final element, for example Schönberg (see Schoenberg) and Goldberg. 5. Germanized form of Sorbian Běrk (see Berk). Some characteristic forenames: Scandinavian Erik, Lennart, Bjorn, Lars, Nils, Alf, Nels, Thor, Tor, Knute, Selmer, Anders.
Dictionary of American Family Names, 2nd edition, © Oxford University Press, 2022.
How common is the last name Berg in the United States?
Based on the Decennial U.S. Census data, the popularity of the surname Berg in the United States has slightly decreased over a decade. In 2000, this surname ranked at 637 but fell to 712 in 2010, marking an 11.77% drop. However, the total count of people bearing the Berg surname showed a marginal increase from 48,480 in 2000 to 48,746 in 2010, a rise of 0.55%. Consequently, the proportion of people with the surname per 100,000 dropped by 8.01%, from 17.97 in 2000 to 16.53 in 2010.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rank | #637 | #712 | -11.77% |
| Count | 48,480 | 48,746 | 0.55% |
| Proportion per 100k | 17.97 | 16.53 | -8.01% |
Race and Ethnicity of people with the last name Berg
In terms of ethnicity, the Decennial U.S. Census data reveals that the majority of people with the surname Berg identify as White, with 95.91% in 2000 and 94.69% in 2010. However, there's been a slight decrease of 1.27% in this group over the decade. Meanwhile, individuals who identified as Hispanic saw the most significant increase, rising by 42.33% during the same period. The proportion of those identifying as Asian/Pacific Islander also increased by 35.19%. There was a growth of 28.57% for those identifying with two or more races and a 17.50% increase for those identifying as American Indian and Alaskan Native. On the other hand, the proportion of individuals identifying as Black saw a small decrease of 10.26%.
| 2000 | 2010 | Change | |
|---|---|---|---|
| White | 95.91% | 94.69% | -1.27% |
| Hispanic | 1.63% | 2.32% | 42.33% |
| Two or More Races | 1.12% | 1.44% | 28.57% |
| Asian/Pacific Islander | 0.54% | 0.73% | 35.19% |
| American Indian and Alaskan Native | 0.4% | 0.47% | 17.5% |
| Black | 0.39% | 0.35% | -10.26% |
Berg ancestry composition
23andMe computes an ancestry breakdown for each customer. People may have ancestry from just one population or they may have ancestry from several populations. The most commonly-observed ancestry found in people with the surname Berg is British & Irish, which comprises 30.4% of all ancestry found in people with the surname. The next two most common ancestries are French & German (25.1%) and Scandinavian (20.4%). Additional ancestries include Ashkenazi Jewish, Eastern European, Italian, Spanish & Portuguese, and Finnish.
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| ANCESTRY BREAKDOWN | COMPOSITION |
|---|---|
| British & Irish | 30.4% |
| French & German | 25.1% |
| Scandinavian | 20.4% |
| Other | 24.1% |
Possible origins of the surname Berg
Your DNA provides clues about where your recent ancestors may have lived. Having many distant relatives in the same location suggests that you may all share common ancestry there. Locations with many distant relatives can also be places where people have migrated recently, such as large cities. If a large number of individuals who share your surname have distant relatives in a specific area, it could indicate a connection between your surname and that location, stemming from either recent ancestral ties or migration.
Based on 23andMe data, people with last name Berg have recent ancestry locations in the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and Ireland.
| RECENT ANCESTRY Location | Percentage |
|---|---|
| Greater London, United Kingdom | 70.10% |
| Merseyside, United Kingdom | 70.00% |
| Glasgow City, United Kingdom | 69.80% |
| Greater Manchester, United Kingdom | 69.80% |
| West Midlands, United Kingdom | 69.80% |
What Berg haplogroups can tell you
Haplogroups are genetic population groups that share a common ancestor on either your paternal or maternal line. These paternal and maternal haplogroups shed light on your genetic ancestry and help tell the story of your family.
The top paternal haplogroup of people with the surname Berg is I-Z58, which is predominantly found among people with European ancestry. Haplogroup I-Z58 is descended from haplogroup I-M170. Other common haplogroups include R-CTS241 and I-M253, which are predominantly found among people with European and European ancestry. Other surnames with similar common haplogroups are: Nelson, Olson, Peterson, Anderson, Erickson, Hansen, Larsen, Olsen, Hanson, Andersen.
The most common maternal haplogroups of people with Berg surname are: H1, T2b, H. These most commonly trace back to individuals of European ancestry.
Paternal Haplogroup Origins I-M170
Your paternal lineage may be linked to Alexander Hamilton
Early in the morning on July 11, 1804, Aaron Burr (then Vice President of the United States) and Alexander Hamilton (founder of the U.S. Treasury) dueled on the New Jersey side of the Hudson River. This marked the culmination of a bitter personal and political rivalry between the two men. Alexander Hamilton died as a result of the duel, but his intellectual legacy survives in the founding documents of the nation he helped build. A piece of his genetic legacy survives as well: in the 21st century, genealogists documented the paternal haplogroups of dozens of Hamilton's living descendants and concluded that the Founding Father's paternal haplogroup was a branch of I-DF29.
Your maternal lineage may be linked to Marie Antoinette
Because it is so dominant in the general European population, haplogroup H also appears quite frequently in the continent's royal houses. Marie Antoinette, an Austrian Hapsburg who married into the French royal family, inherited the haplogroup from her maternal ancestors. So did Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, whose recorded genealogy traces his female line to Bavaria. Scientists also discovered that famed 16th century astronomer Nicolaus Copernicus traced his maternal lineages to haplogroup H.
What do people with the surname Berg have in common?
Spoiler alert: it's complicated. People with the same last name are usually no more genetically similar than a randomly sampled group of people from the same population. That said, people with the same surname are more likely to have similar ancestries than randomly sampled individuals. The reason is the tendency of people with similar cultural or geographical backgrounds to preferentially mate with one another. That's why people who share a surname may be more likely to share traits and tendencies in common than people within the general population. Check out the percentages below to see the prevalences of tastes, habits, and traits of people with your surname compared with prevalences among 23andMe users.
Preferences
Chocolate Ice Cream
Prefers chocolate flavored ice cream over other flavors.
"Berg" Surname 40.6%
23andMe Users 41.3%
Traits
Misophonia
When sounds made by others, like the sound of chewing or yawning, provoke strong emotional reactions in an individual.
"Berg" Surname 28.6%
23andMe Users 27.9%
Habits
Sugary Drink
Drinks one or more sugary drinks per day.
"Berg" Surname 19.5%
23andMe Users 21.1%
Wellness
Migraine
A severe headache characterized by intense pain, sensitivity to light and sound, and often accompanied by nausea and vomiting.
"Berg" Surname 17.4%
23andMe Users 16.4%
Are health conditions linked to the last name Berg?
The short answer is that, if there is an association between surname and health, it's usually more about your ancestry than your name. Individuals with a given surname are no more genetically similar than the general population but often have similar ancestries. The populations of people associated with those shared ancestries often have sets of genetic variations, also known as alleles, in common. Some of those alleles are associated with a greater likelihood of developing certain diseases.
Disease variant frequency by ancestry
Disease allele frequencies in populations associated with the surname Berg are shown below. Important Note: not everyone with a disease allele will develop these health condition