Shellenbarger: This was my Grandfather's last name.?

Question

I know nothing about the geneology of my Grandfather. My family was very secretive about where we came from. His last name was Shellenbarger. Is it German? German-Jew? Something else?

Answer 1

Shellenbarger
Americanized form of German Schellenberger.

Schellenberger
German: habitational name for someone from any of the places called Schellenberg.

Schellenberg
German and Swiss German: habitational name from any of various places in Germany and Switzerland called Schellenberg.

Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, ISBN 0-19-508137-4

Link in the resolved Q's if you are interested.

If he is dead and had an American SSN and it is worth $27 to you, his SSN application will tell where and when he was born, and his parents' names.

Answer 2

I just found a few references that the surname could be from Switzerland, which could still make it a German name. It also shows a different spelling Shellenberger. There are also several references to Ohio and Pennsylvania. These 2 states had a lot of German areas. I have a feeling that there are not too many people with this surname, so it should be easy to connect to someone. It is also possible that your family may not want you to find his ancestry. It is common, but I say go for it and find out where you came from.

Answer 3

Hey ho!
If your own grandfather & father won't give this information, how can others tell you??