Scheinberg is an ornamental German surname meaning "beautiful mountain". Derived from the German words schön ("beautiful") and Berg ("mountain"), it belongs to a common class of German surnames coined in the 19th century, often originally taken by Jews or others who lacked hereditary surnames. The name reflects an idealized natural landscape rather than a specific geographic location. According to standard onomastic sources, ornamental names like Scheinberg were formed by combining favorable adjectives with nature elements to create new, unique surnames. They were particularly common in German-speaking Jewish communities where surname adoption was mandated in the early 1800s; other examples include Rosenberg ("rose mountain") and Goldstein ("gold stone"). However, the Scheinberg surname also appears among non-Jewish populations in Germany and New World immigrant communities as an artistic occupational variant. While the surname often does not derive directly from a known place, it coincidentally shares its spelling with a minor topographic feature: the Scheinberg hill (498 m), located in the Schwanberg forest region of Bavaria. This peak is the highest point in the Steigerwald range and sits on the border between Middle Franconia and Lower Franconia. The name's occurrence as a place-name is independent of the surname's etymology but reinforces the landscape imagery. Notable bearers of the surname include historical figures in the business and media sectors, notably Arthur Scheinberg, a 20th-century German-American founder of a coal company, and his descendants who established a minerals corporation. However, due to the name's relatively uncommon occurrence globally, comprehensive geographic distribution statistics are sparse. According to migration records, Scheinberg appears with density in the United States, Canada, Argentina, and the Upper Austrian region, especially among Ashkenazic Jewish diaspora populations. Phonetic and orthographic variants exist, such as Schönberg (also an ornamental name of identical meaning, and the more prevalent form), Shineburg (German->English transliteration), and patronymic forms influenced by immigration-era spelling standardization. To a degree, relationships between differently spelled origins persist; Schoenberg (additionally a sett&#x92 ; vance and an alternate Modern High German title) and Steinberg share conceptual mechanics but differ in concreteness. The change in Schön->Sch�n (umlaut) shows characteristic orthographic simplification after emigration to English-speaking lands. Meaning: “beautiful mountain” Origin: German (from schö ß i> “see + berg) Type: Ornamental surname) Usage regions: German roots, Anglophone immigrant contexts mostly: USA, Israel, Argentina