Weinberg
A German surname meaning “vineyard” or “wine hill,” originally used for someone living by such a place.
The #3,612 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 31,424 Americans shares it.
Etymology
Weinberg is a German compound of Wein, “wine” or “vine,” and Berg, “hill” or “mountain.” In surname use, it refers to a vineyard or a hill associated with vines, so the basic sense is “vineyard” or “wine hill.” The first element ultimately goes back to Latin vinum, “wine.”
History
This is a well-attested German surname and place-name type, especially common in German-speaking areas where topographic surnames arose from nearby landforms or cultivated ground. It also appears in related forms such as Weingarten and Weingartner, which point to the same vineyard naming tradition. Jewish families in Central and Eastern Europe also adopted or received Weinberg as a surname, especially in the late 18th and 19th centuries.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The name is a close cousin of other German surname types built from vineyard words, like Weingarten (“vineyard garden”) and Weingartner (“vineyard keeper” or “vine dresser”).
From the historical record
“Villiers in Diet.] WEINBERG (Ger.) Vineyard (on a hill) [Ger. ivein, wine, vine; M.H.Ger. O.H.Ger. •win, f. Lat. vin-um, wine -f- Ger. M.H.Ger. O.H.Ger. berg, hill] WEINGARTEN (Ger.) Vineyard [see under Weinberg, and -f- Ger. garten, M.H.Ger.”
— Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary (2 vols in 1)