Given name & surname
Bergen
Bergen is used as a given name and a surname. One Scandinavian interpretation is “one who lives on the mountain; one who lives on the hill.”
Meaning & origin
What it means
One Scandinavian interpretation is “one who lives on the mountain; one who lives on the hill.”
Where it comes from
An origin associated with this spelling is Scandinavian.
How it developed
From Old Norse Bjǫrgvin (“meadow between the mountains”).
Adapted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0)
The story
Published U.S. birth records include this spelling as early as 1928. This is the earliest published observation available here, rather than a date for the name’s origin.
From dated birth records
Bergen through the years
- Babies since 1880
- 954
- 403 boys · 551 girls
- Most popular year
- 2001
- 48 babies
- 2025
- 37
- #4,675 for girls · #9,027 for boys
- 2021–25 vs 2016–20
- +10%
- Rising
Where it’s given
By the numbers
In 2025, this name appeared in 29 U.S. birth records for girls, ranking No. 4,675 among girls’ names. Average annual use for girls was 59.2% higher in 2021–2025 than in 2016–2020. It also appeared in 8 birth records for boys in 2025. In 2025, Nebraska had the largest reported state-level birth count for girls with this name (10). Published U.S. population figures for this spelling include 935 as a first name in 2020; 5,625 as a surname in 2020.
From Social Security birth records and U.S. Census name counts for this exact spelling. Other spellings are counted separately.
Bergen’s family of names
Bergen has a related form in Bergan. Bergen has a related form in Bergin. Bergen has a related form in Bergon.
Inner ring: nicknames and forms · outer: across languages.
Nicknames & forms 11
Diminutives, pet forms, short forms and variants used alongside the name.
- Berganvariant
- Berginvariant
- Birgynvariant
- Birginvariant
- Birgunvariant
- Birgonvariant
- Birganvariant
- Birgenvariant
Show 3 moreShow fewer
Across languages 1
Equivalents and cognates in other languages, plus older forms it grew from.
Similar names
If you love Bergen, these share its style, era, origin or sound, from outside its own family.
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