Spelling Nörenberg

Family surnames connect us to our ancestors. In our modern thinking, we want our surname to be unique and to be consistently spelled the same way. In genealogical research, names are often written by a government clerk or a member of the clergy; they spelled names the way that they sounded. The surname Norenberg is a perfect example with multiple spellings.

In 1904, Konstantin (“Charlie” Norenberg) confirmed his Baptism into the Christian faith. The original confirmation certificate is lettered in a beautiful German script and spells his name clearly as Konstantin Nörenberg.¹Nörenberg, Konstantin. Fraktur (certificate). Confirmation, 1904. Printed in Gütersloh, Germany: _elsmann, n.d. Owned by the late Don Norenberg, Bemidji, Minnesota, 2012.

In German, the vowel Ö is a separate vowel and has a different sound from the English vowel O (with no umlaut/double dots). In modern German spelling, sometimes the vowel combination OE is used to represent the same sound as the vowel Ö. To pronounce the ö-sound, say “ay” as in day; while continuing to make this sound, tightly round your lips. Look in a mirror to make sure your lips are actually rounded and your tongue stays in the correct location. That’s the way our name should sound!

Research about the spelling of the name Nörenberg was conducted in the Evangelical [Lutheran] Church Record Books of Elisabetpol, Wolhynia, Russia (Family History Library Films).²Family History Library Films: Evangelische Kirche Włodzimierz, 2380038 and 1897594. In the Russian church books, the name Nörenberg was likely spelled the way that it sounded. In one instance, the church scribe wrote the name as Nöhrenberg. The H indicates that the Ö was to be emphasized.

Also in the research, the ending of the name has always been -berg, never -burg. So, it should sound more like bairg, not burg.

“Charlie” Norenberg officially changed the spelling of his name when he became a citizen of the United States on 6 March 1942. The name-change to Constantin Norenberg is recorded on the back of his citizenship certificate: Name changed from Konstantin Nurenberg by decree of the court as a part of the naturalization.³Norenberg, Constantin. Certificate of Naturalization, 1942. Owned by the late Don Norenberg, Bemidji 2012. I suspect that the clerk misspelled Nörenberg as Nurenberg most likely because of the way Charlie pronounced it and also because American typewriters do not have the letter Ö.

We have to keep in mind that people spelled the name the way that they heard it. If the hearer was not German, they would not know how to spell an Ö. In both German and American research, there are many, many different spellings of the surname Nörenberg.

CLICK HERE for a one-page Chronology of Nörenberg Spelling

What needs additional researching?

What other ways have you seen Nörenberg spelled?