Brandenburg

Recorded as Brandenburg, Brandenberg and Brandenberger (German) and Brendenbourg (Luxembourg), this is a famous and noble surname of Prussian-German origins. It is residential, and originates from the former state of Brandenburg, in the kingdom of Prussia, of which Berlin was the capital, and the Brandenburg Gate, one of Europes most famous features. The place name and hence the later surname probably means the hill (burg) cleared (for agriculture) by burning (brandt). As Brandenberger, the surname originally described a then current inhabitant of Brandenburg, whilst as Brandenburg or Brandenberg, it probably describes somebody who came from the region, and who had moved somewhere else, or in some cases were members of the royal household of Brandenburg. The coat of arms has the blazon of a quartered shield, one and four being an blach eagle displayed, and two and three a gold crown, all within a gold border. The early examples of the surname recording taken from surviving rolls and charters of Germany in the Middle Ages include such examples as Hans Brandenberg of St. Blasien in 1374, and Hildebrand Brandenburg of Biberach in 1398.