English
Goldberg
Goldberg comes from German Goldberg.
- Germanc. 1650–presentGoldberg
- Englishearliest quotation 2016same form
attested reconstructed ? uncertain or disputed
Lineage
- Germanc. 1650–presentGoldberg
- Englishearliest quotation 2016same form
Earliest quotation: 2016, Jason Koebler, Jews Are Taking Back (((Echoes))) from the Neo-Nazis: “After Rosenberg and Goldberg tweeted about changing their names,…”
A compound of Gold ‘gold’ + Berg ‘mountain’
Proto-Indo-European *ǵʰelh₃- ‘green, yellow’
Proto-Germanic *gulþą ‘gold’
Proto-West Germanic *golþ ‘gold’
Old High German gold
Middle High German golt
German Gold ‘gold’
Proto-Indo-European *bʰerǵʰ- ‘to rise up, be elevated’
Proto-Indo-European *bʰérǵʰos ‘hill’
Proto-Germanic *bergaz ‘hill, mountain’
Proto-West Germanic *berg ‘hill, mountain’
Old High German bërg ‘mountain, hill’
Middle High German bërc ‘a mountain’
German Berg ‘mountain’
The story
One of the ornamental names chosen by Jews who were forced to take surnames in 18th and 19th century Germany.
Every English word from German Goldberg
Today it means
name A surname from German, fairly common in the United States.
Language periods are conventional ranges, not dates for this word.
Etymograph / German Goldberg / Goldberg