Heinberg

Heinberg is a surname of German origin. The name combines “Hein,” a diminutive of the given name Heinrich, with “berg,” meaning mountain or hill in German. As a toponymic and patronymic surname, Heinberg likely originated from a place associated with a hill or from a person connected to such a feature. The surname is most commonly found in German-speaking regions and among descendants of German immigrants in North America and elsewhere. Variants of the name, such as Heinberger, appear in historical records in various regions.

Notable people with the surname include Richard Heinberg, an American author and energy economist. He is a senior fellow at the Post Carbon Institute and has written extensively on energy descent, sustainability, and economic resilience. His works include Powerdown (2004) and The End of Growth (2011), which examine the implications of finite resources for modern economies and energy systems. Heinberg advocates transitions toward renewable energy, conservation, and local resilience as responses to peak oil and climate concerns.

In contemporary discourse, Richard Heinberg is the best-known bearer of the surname due to his public engagement and published works on energy and sustainability.