Berger
Berger is a surname in both German and French, although there is no etymological connection between the names in the two languages. The French surname is an occupational name for a shepherd, from Old French bergier. The German surname derives from the word Berg, the word for "mountain" or "hill", and means "a resident on a mountain or hill", or someone from a toponym Berg, derived from the same.
Meaning & Origin of Berger
What this name means, where it came from, and how it has traveled across cultures.
Berger is a surname in both German and French, although there is no etymological connection between the names in the two languages. The French surname is an occupational name for a shepherd, from Old French bergier. The German surname derives from the word Berg, the word for "mountain" or "hill", and means "a resident on a mountain or hill", or someone from a toponym Berg, derived from the same.
Source: Wikipedia (CC BY-SA 3.0). Read more →
The Story of Berger
American parents first put Berger on the record books as a baby boy name in 1912, with 6 registered babies. Its peak popularity came in 1914, when 9 Bergers were born — ranking #2,271 that year. About 65% of every Berger on record arrived during the 1910s, its defining decade. Berger last appeared in the published SSA data in 1931, with 6 recorded births — it has not charted nationally since. All told, over 54 Americans have carried the name since 1880, from the 1910s to the 2020s.
Popularity Over Time
Popularity by State
Names that sound like Berger
Phonetically similar names — useful when Berger is the vibe but a different syllable count or letter feel might suit better. Linked entries have a profile on Peek a Name.
Source: Datamuse . Phonetic similarity ranking, not curated.
Frequently Asked Questions about Berger
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About the name Berger
Berger is a boy baby name tracked by the U.S. Social Security Administration. It first appeared in SSA records in 1912 and has accumulated 54 births in the dataset. Berger's peak popularity came in 1914 when it ranked #2,271. Use the chart and map above to compare Berger's trajectory across years and U.S. states, or browse the related names section to discover similar choices.
Continue exploring
- Top names of 1914 →
- Names of the 1910s →
- Names starting with "B" →
- Browse all boy names →
- Top names of 2026 →
Data sources
- Birth statistics (counts, ranks, years 1880–2026) — U.S. Social Security Administration . Predictions for years not yet released by SSA are computed by Peek a Name from historical trends; we update with official data as soon as it ships.
- Etymology, cultural origins, and related forms — Behind the Name (used under their public API terms).
- Meaning prose and editorial summary — Wikipedia article extracts, licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0 .
- Predicted nationality distribution — Nationalize.io .
- Phonetically similar names — Datamuse .
Peek a Name aggregates and presents the above data for informational purposes. Statistical predictions and external attributions are clearly labelled where shown; we make no guarantee of accuracy beyond what each source provides.