Oberg
A German and Scandinavian surname meaning “upper mountain” or “from the upper hill.”
The #6,179 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 55,760 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Oberg is a place-based surname built from a word for “upper” or “higher” and a word for “mountain” or “hill.” In German and related Scandinavian naming, the element berg commonly means “mountain,” while ober means “upper” or “above,” so the name likely referred to someone who lived on or near the upper hillside, or who came from a place called Oberg. The sense is straightforwardly topographic: “upper hill/mountain.”
History
The surname is well established in German-speaking areas and also occurs in Scandinavia, where similar topographic names are common. As with many locational surnames, it could arise independently in more than one place named Oberg. In modern usage it is especially familiar in North America through immigrant families of German and Scandinavian background.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The same root berg shows up in many European surnames and place-names, making Oberg instantly recognizable as a landscape surname.
From the historical record
“* Oberende 517, 527. Oberfeldt 50. Oberg 314. Oberhausen, -ser 50. * Oberheide 527. Oberhoifer 50.”
— Die Personennamen, insbesondere die Familiennamen