Surname Mühlenberg - Meaning and Origin
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Mühlenberg: What does the surname Mühlenberg mean?
The last name Mühlenberg is derived from the German word mühle, which translates to "mill" or "windmill." This likely indicates that the family originally worked in a profession related to mills, such as millers, grain merchants, millwrights, or other related trades. Mühlenberg is also a common place name in Germany, indicating that the family could also have originated from one of those places. Other places with Mühlenberg in the name include places in Sweden, France, Austria, and Liechtenstein.
Mühlenberg is an old Germanic name, and the earliest reference to it is found in a document from 1218. By the 1300s, the name had spread throughout northern Germany. In the 1700s, many individuals bearing the Mühlenberg surname emigrated to the United States, primarily the Pennsylvania Dutch region.
Today, the Mühlenberg name is relatively widespread throughout Europe and the United States. In Germany, the popularity is fading, but in the United States it is still relatively common. Mühlenberg remains a mark of pride among those with Germanic ancestry and is still the source of many impressive family stories.
Order DNA origin analysisMühlenberg: Where does the name Mühlenberg come from?
The last name Mühlenberg is common mainly in Germany today. This surname originates from a placename derived from mühle meaning mill and berg meaning hill/mountain. Records indicate that the Mühlenberg name was found in the western regions and also in Prussia in Medieval times, but the name has since spread to other parts of Europe and to the rest of the world.
Mühlenberg is particularly common in Berlin, North Rhine-Westphalia, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Lower Saxony in Germany. The name is also prevalent to a lesser degree in the United Kingdom and the United States. In the United Kingdom, there are concentrated populations of people bearing the Mühlenberg name in Wales and England. In America, the most Mühlenbergs are found in California, Texas and Pennsylvania, although there are smaller populations scattered throughout the rest of the U.S.
Mühlenberg is also a popular name in Switzerland, Austria, France, Sweden, Norway, Denmark, Netherlands, and parts of Eastern Europe. In 2013, it was estimated that about 22,000 people worldwide currently bear this surname.
Variations of the surname Mühlenberg
The surname Mühlenberg is of Germanic origin and is derived from the word “Mühle” meaning “mill”. It is also spelled in various ways such as Muehlenberg, Müllenberg, Muellenberg, Millenberg, Millenberger, Millenbake and Muellenbach. The variants and surnames of the same origin include Millenberg, Molenberg, Molinberg, Mühlberg, Mintonberg, Müllerberg, Milneberg, Mulenberg, Millenaker, Mullerbake, Mylonberg, Mulenberger, Mulinberg, Mulleberg, Molleberg, Mullenberg, Muflingen, Muellerbommel, Hamlet, Muhlberger, Milhold, Neumenberg and Schwaben.
The Mühlenberg surname is very old and was found in Germany and Switzerland as early as the 12th century. It is also prevalent in the United States where immigrants from this region settled in numbers. The spelling variants of the name have been used in many countries to accommodate changing languages and regional dialects. In the United States, names with similar pronunciations such as Millon, Millan, Milham and Millhiser are not uncommon. As such, it is important to note that any name based on the root “muhl” and its variants can carry the same origin as Mühlenberg.
Famous people with the name Mühlenberg
- Peter Mühlenberg: German-American minister and soldier in the Continental Army during the American Revolutionary War
- Henry Melchoir Muhlenberg: German-born pastor of the Lutheran Church and a patriarch of the Lutheran Church in America
- Frederick Augustus Conrad Muhlenberg: an American politician, Continental Congressman from Pennsylvania
- Fritz Muhlenberg: German-born physicist and professor at Princeton University
- August H. Muhlenberg: German-born textiles manufacturer
- Anna Paula Muhlenberg: one of the last known speakers of Pennsylvania German
- Wilhelm von Muhlenberg: a German theologian
- Hettie Virginia Muhlenberg: an American actress
- Francis E. Muhlenberg: American lawyer, and the eleventh Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of Pennsylvania
- Jan von Muhlenberg: Swedish industrialist and politician