Eichelberger
A German surname meaning someone from a place marked by oaks, or from a farm near an oak grove.
The #7,191 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 66,440 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is built from German Eich- or Eichel-, referring to an oak or acorn, plus -berger, a common element meaning someone from a hill, mountain, or other elevated place, or from a settlement there. In older surname explanations, it is usually understood as a place-based name for someone who lived near an oak tree, oak grove, or a farmstead associated with that feature. The exact nuance can vary by region, but the core idea is an oak-related locality.
History
The name appears in German-speaking areas and was later carried abroad by immigrants, especially to North America. The cited early-20th-century source groups it with other Eich- surnames and glosses the element as oak, supporting a German place-name origin. Modern bearers in the U.S. are relatively uncommon but the surname is well established in German-American communities.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The root Eich- shows up in many German surnames and place names because oaks were such a common landmark in older rural landscapes.
From the historical record
“ground), Effinger (Effingen, in Aargau), Ecker, Eckmann (Ecke = steep slope, or farm on same), Eick, Eichler, Eichli, Eickholtz, Eichmann, Eichelberger (Eich — oak), Elsasser (from Alsace), Emenheiser, Emsweiler (Weiler = small village, espe- Oscar Kuhns. 315”
— Studies in Pennsylvania German Family Names