This Jewish and German surname of BAUMBERGER was a habitation name from the city of BAMBERG in Bavaria (formerly in Upper Franconia). Between 1077 and 1702 it was the capital of a powerful ecclesiastical state, and in the 15th century the bishops of Bamberg were raised to princely rank. When traditional Jews were forced to take family names by the local bureaucracy, it was an obligation imposed from outside traditional society, and people often took the names playfully and let their imaginations run wild by choosing names which corresponded to nothing real in their world. No one alive today can remember the times when Jews took or were given family names (for most Ashkenazim this was the end of the 18th century or the beginning of the 19th) although many remember names being changed after emigration to other countries, such as the United States and Israel in recent years. The name has many variant spellings which include Bamberger, Bambach and Bamberg. A notable member of the name was Clarence BAMBERGER, who was born on 16th July, 1886. He was a Mining Engineer, and the Appointments he held include Petroleum exploration in Tampico, Mexico with the Ohio Copper Company in Bingham Canyon, Utah. He was a member of the Board of Governors for the American Red Cross and was awarded the 'Commandre de L'ordre Etoile Noire' in France, 1961. He resided at Salt Lake City, Utah, United States of America. In the Middle Ages heraldry came into use as a practical matter. It originated in the devices used to distinguish the armoured warriors in tournament and war, and was also placed on seals as marks of identity. As far as records show, true heraldry began in the middle of the 12th century, and appeared almost simultaneously in several countries of Western Europe. The first hereditary surnames on German soil are found in the second half of the 12th century, slightly later than in England and France. However, it was not until the 16th century that they became stabilized. The practice of adopting hereditary surnames began in the southern areas of Germany, and gradually spread northwards during the Middle Ages.
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