Lindberg
A Scandinavian surname meaning “lime tree hill” or “hill by the linden trees.”
The #3,516 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 30,421 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Lindberg is a compound surname built from Scandinavian lind, meaning “linden” or “lime tree,” and berg, meaning “hill,” “mountain,” or “rock.” In place-name use, it likely referred to someone who lived near a wooded hill, a slope, or a settlement marked by linden trees. The name is therefore usually understood as a topographic or locational surname, rather than a nickname or occupational one.
History
The surname is common in Sweden and also appears in Denmark and Norway, where nature-based place names were a major source of family names. It spread more widely through Scandinavian migration, especially to North America in the 19th and early 20th centuries. In some cases it may have originated independently from different local place names with the same elements.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The elements behind Lindberg are both very common in Scandinavian place names, which is one reason the surname can arise in multiple places independently.