Berger

This name has two possible origins, the first being a German and Swedish topographic name for someone who lived on or by a hill or mountain. As a Swedish surname it is often an ornamental name, one of the many formed by more or less arbitrary selection of vocabulary words referring to natural phenomena. Berger may also be an occupational name for a shepherd, deriving from the French "Berger(e)" which comes from the late Latin "Berbex", a ram. The introduction of Berger into England was due to the mass influx of French refugees fleeing from religious persecution in the late 16th Century through to the late 17th Century. On May 22nd 1692, David, son of Louis Berger, was christened at "Le Temple" French Huguenot, London and Frederick Berger was christened at St. Ann's, Blackfriars, London on December 12th 1824. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Francois Berger (witness at a christening), which was dated October 23rd 1614, French Huguenot Church, Threadneedle Street, London, during the reign of King James I of England and VI of Scotland, 1603 - 1625. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.