Surname Walburg - Meaning and Origin
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Walburg: What does the surname Walburg mean?
The last name Walburg is a Germanic surname derived from a place name. Walburg is derived from the Old German words Wald, meaning ‘forest’ and burg, meaning ‘forteress’. It is believed to have been the name of one the places where an ancestor of a person bearing the last name Walburg was born or lived in.
The surname is most commonly found in Frisian lands. This is thought to be because of the spread of the Walbringer Family, who were Frisian nobles, during the Middle Ages. The Walbringers are believed to have been descendents of Walburg, which was the name of the Duke of Frisia who reigned in the 9th century.
Walburg is also a common first name in the Netherlands, and is sometimes still used as a first name in Germany and other Germanic countries.
The surname Walburg could be taken to mean ‘a fort build in the forest’ or ‘forest fortress’. It is also symbolic for protection as fortresses were built to defend land and people against attackers. To bear the name Walburg, could therefore speak to a strong protective spirit against adversity.
Order DNA origin analysisWalburg: Where does the name Walburg come from?
The last name Walburg is most commonly found in the Netherlands and Germany, and many of its bearers are descendants of a medieval merchant family who first came to prominence in the 12th century in the city of Maastricht, in present-day Netherlands.
Walburgs are scattered throughout Europe, notably in the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium, France, Denmark, Sweden, and Switzerland. In the United States, the last name Walburg is most commonly found in California, Texas, and Illinois, with sizable numbers also present in New York, Pennsylvania, Florida, and Massachusetts. This suggests that many Walburgs migrated to the United States during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, likely in search of better economic opportunities.
Today, the Walburg surname is a relic of an ancient and distinguished European family. Its members are spread far and wide, and can be found in places as far afield as the United States, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Of course, the majority of the Walburg family still reside in the Netherlands and Germany, where their lineage began over 800 years ago.
Variations of the surname Walburg
The surname Walburg is of German origin and has several variants, spellings and surnames of similar origin.
The most common spelling is Walburg, however it can also be spelt as Walberg, Wallberg, Wallburg, Wallbourg, Wallburga and Wulburg. Variations of the surname include Walbrooke, Wallbrooke, Walborck, Wallborck, Wallbork, Valburg, Weilburg, Walebury and Wailburge.
It is believed that the surname derives from the first element 'wald' (meaning 'forest' or 'woods') in combination with 'berg' (meaning 'mountain'). The original bearer of the name was likely a person found near a forested mountain.
In Germany, many families bearing the Walburg surname live mainly in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia.
One of the earliest occurrences of a derivation of the surname was found in the city of Trebur in Hesse in 1281. A person named Walbroco was mentioned in the city records from this period. Over time, the Walburgs spread to Bavaria and other parts of Germany.
The Walburgs of North Rhine-Westphalia can trace their ancestry back to the 13th century when a man by the name of Konrad von Walberg was mentioned in the city of Datteln in 1233.
Today the surname is often found in the United States and other parts of the world due to immigration from Germany.
Famous people with the name Walburg
- Mark Wahlberg: Actor, Comedian, Producer
- Donnie Wahlberg: Actor, Singer
- Paul Wahlberg: Chef
- Robert Wahlberg: Actor, Politician, Lawyer
- David Wahlberg: Actor
- Arthur Wahlberg: Reality TV Star
- Peter Wahlberg: Sound Mixer
- Bruce Wahlberg: Actor
- Stephen Wahlberg: Producer
- Vivien Wahlberg: Actress