Bergström
A Scandinavian surname meaning “mountain stream” or “stream by the mountain.”
The #3,986 most common surname in the United States (2010 Census) — about 1 in every 34,659 Americans shares it.
Etymology
This surname is built from Scandinavian words for “mountain” or “hill” and “stream.” In Swedish, the standard spelling is Bergström, from berg (“mountain, hill”) + ström (“stream, current”), giving the sense of a stream by a hill or mountain. The anglicized spelling Bergstrom usually reflects the same name with the umlaut removed.
History
Bergström is a well-established Swedish surname and is also found in other Scandinavian countries and in immigrant communities abroad. In North America, the umlaut is often dropped, producing Bergstrom. The name belongs to the common Scandinavian type of ornamental or topographic surnames made from natural features.
Origin
Regions
Variant spellings
Fun fact
The surname’s two parts are both very common in Scandinavian place-names, so Bergström could originally describe someone living near a mountain stream rather than a single fixed family estate.
From the historical record
“KiiniT lü. ahd. chlinga, mhd. klinge „Ge- birgsbach, rauschender Bergstrom", ON. und in Zss. wie Klingmüller, Auch Klingel, wie in der Pfalz viele Bäche heißen. Daher FN. Klineke, Kling mit der Ableii Klinger. Klingelhage,”
— Die deutschen Familiennamen