Fun Facts About the Name Bergen
- 954 babies named Bergen: U.S. records list 954 babies given the name Bergen from 1880 through 2025. Even 403 boys received the name Bergen.
What Does the Name Bergen Mean?
Bergen is first of all a place name, and as a personal name it is normally a transferred use of that place name or of the surname that comes from it. Its best-known source is the Norwegian city, whose Old Norse name was Bjǫrgvin. That form joins bjǫrg, the plural of bjarg ("rock, rocky mountain"), with vin ("meadow, pasture"). The literal sense is therefore "the meadow among the mountains."
Places called Bergen in Germany and the Netherlands have a different background: they come from the German and Dutch word Berg ("mountain") with a plural or dative ending -en, so they mean roughly "the mountains" or "at the mountains." The German surname Bergen is also a habitational name taken from one of those towns, or a topographic name for someone who lived by a hill. The Norwegian and the German names look identical in modern spelling but are separate words. In English, the Norwegian sense, "meadow among the mountains," is the meaning usually attached to the name.
Bergen Name History & Origins
The Norwegian city on the west coast has been known since the Middle Ages, when it was written Bjǫrgvin; the shorter form Bergen reflects later Norwegian and Danish spelling habits, while the older form survives in the name of the diocese of Bjørgvin. Because the city was a long-standing center of Norwegian trade and church life, its name traveled widely, and it became a common family name for people with ties to the town.
German and Dutch places spelled Bergen have their own local histories and grew independently from the ordinary word for "mountain," so the shared spelling does not point to a shared origin. As a first name, Bergen is uncommon. It is used to some extent in Norway, but in Norway and Germany alike it is far more familiar as a surname; among Jewish families in German-speaking areas it is a habitational or topographic surname as well. In the United States and other English-speaking countries it appears mainly as a surname and only occasionally as a given name, usually for girls, drawn from the surname or from a place name rather than from a distinct naming tradition.
How Popular is the Name Bergen?
Bergen has historically been an exceptionally rare given name in the United States, remaining well outside the national mainstream. It saw its highest recorded annual births in 2025. Its best rank was #3,369 in 2003.
U.S. name popularity from 1880-2025, based on SSA data. Rank shows how the name compares with other names - lower numbers mean greater popularity. Births shows how many babies received the name each year.
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #4,675 | 29 | 0.0018% |
| 2024 | #5,451 | 23 | 0.0014% |
| 2023 | #10,432 | 9 | 0.0006% |
| 2022 | #11,375 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #10,418 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2020 | #9,661 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2019 | #8,678 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2018 | #16,075 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 2017 | #10,077 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 2016 | #8,981 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2015 | #6,055 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 2014 | #9,061 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #7,810 | 15 | 0.0009% |
| 2012 | #7,189 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 2011 | #9,247 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #7,946 | 15 | 0.0008% |
| 2009 | #5,562 | 25 | 0.0014% |
| 2008 | #7,796 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 2007 | #6,598 | 20 | 0.0010% |
| 2006 | #8,799 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2005 | #6,571 | 18 | 0.0010% |
| 2004 | #7,887 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2003 | #7,645 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2002 | #7,489 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2001 | #4,855 | 24 | 0.0013% |
| 2000 | #6,531 | 16 | 0.0009% |
| 1999 | #5,058 | 21 | 0.0012% |
| 1998 | #5,842 | 17 | 0.0010% |
| 1997 | #7,824 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1996 | #9,683 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1995 | #9,675 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1994 | #7,665 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1993 | #11,945 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1992 | #8,130 | 10 | 0.0005% |
| 1991 | #7,481 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 1990 | #10,321 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1988 | #7,176 | 10 | 0.0006% |
| 1987 | #8,074 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 1986 | #9,668 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1984 | #10,590 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1983 | #8,127 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 1980 | #9,205 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| 1979 | #9,110 | 6 | 0.0004% |
| Year | Rank | Births | % |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | #9,027 | 8 | 0.0005% |
| 2022 | #8,399 | 9 | 0.0005% |
| 2021 | #6,752 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2020 | #6,014 | 14 | 0.0008% |
| 2019 | #9,881 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2018 | #6,752 | 12 | 0.0007% |
| 2017 | #9,815 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2016 | #8,939 | 8 | 0.0004% |
| 2015 | #7,122 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2014 | #6,337 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2013 | #9,762 | 7 | 0.0004% |
| 2012 | #7,117 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2011 | #6,296 | 13 | 0.0007% |
| 2010 | #7,132 | 11 | 0.0006% |
| 2009 | #4,596 | 21 | 0.0011% |
| 2008 | #4,411 | 22 | 0.0011% |
| 2007 | #4,513 | 21 | 0.0010% |
| 2006 | #4,010 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 2005 | #3,949 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 2004 | #4,436 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2003 | #3,369 | 27 | 0.0014% |
| 2002 | #4,204 | 19 | 0.0010% |
| 2001 | #3,521 | 24 | 0.0012% |
| 2000 | #3,550 | 23 | 0.0012% |
| 1999 | #4,365 | 16 | 0.0008% |
| 1998 | #9,784 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1997 | #8,235 | 6 | 0.0003% |
| 1994 | #8,919 | 5 | 0.0003% |
| 1928 | #4,210 | 5 | 0.0005% |
Name popularity over more than a century, based on Social Security Administration data. Gaps in the chart indicate years when the name does not appear in the published records.
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How the Name Bergen Shapes Your Personality and Life?
You can go to great heights and equally great depths. You are emotional and fixed in your opinions. You are hospitable, sentimental, often psychic, sometimes moody. You are ruled by love and the lack of it and feel a need to be encouraged and appreciated. You have an eventful, exciting life. You are versatile and have the ability to learn easily.
You find the best contentment in life when you own your own home and provide well for your family and loved ones. You have a great sense of responsibility and duty. You are comforting, appreciative and affectionate. Your obligation in life is to hold justice and truth, and if you follow the Law, you can find the great happiness and satisfaction.
✦ Bergen's Deeper Meaning & Tips for Parents Discover Bergen's symbolic numbers and practical tips for choosing a name that complements your child's birth date.