Borg
A surname from words for a fort or stronghold, especially common in Scandinavian and Dutch naming traditions.
The #6,928 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 63,751 Americans shares it.
Etymology
The surname Borg is linked to the Germanic word for a fort, stronghold, or fortified place. In Old Norse, borg meant a castle or defensive enclosure, and related forms appear in Scandinavian and Low German place-name and surname traditions. In some cases it may be topographic or locational, referring to someone who lived near a stronghold or came from a place named Borg; in Dutch and Frisian usage, it can also reflect a shortened place-based surname element.
History
The root is widespread across northern Europe and appears in many place names, from Scandinavian borough-like forms to English and Dutch toponyms. The historical excerpts show it being treated as a Scandinavian element and also as part of Dutch patronymic or place-name formations such as Vanden Borg. As a surname, it is relatively uncommon in the United States, but it is well established in Scandinavia and parts of the Low Countries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same ancient root behind Borg also survives in many English place names ending in -borough or -burgh.
From the historical record
“cleft (applied as a nickname to one with a hare-lip) -t- borg, a stronghold] (Scand.) i a nickname from the Cormorant [O.N. skarf-r']”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)