The surname ‘Bernstein’ originates from Israel. It is an ornamental name from the Germanic word ‘Bernstein’ meaning amber (from the Middle Low German word ‘bernen’ meaning to burn and ‘sten’ meaning stone; i.e. it was thought to created by burning, although it is in fact fossilized pine resin). In Germany it is a habitation name from a place so called, of which there is one in Bavaria and another in what used to be East Prussia (now the toen of Petczyce in North West Poland). Both of these probably get their Germanic names fom the notion of a ‘burnt stone’, for example in brick making, rather than from ‘amber’. Historical archive’s have been unable to definitely determine the exact period of settlement in North America but It is believed that the forefather’s of this surname were part of the exodus of migrants that followed the Treaty of Peace signed in Paris in 1763, when great Britain obtained ownership of the whole of North America east of the Missisipi River excepting New Orleans. The chief reasons causing working class people to emigrate were, poor crop yields, high unemp…
Coat of arms: Quarterly, gu…