The first mention is from the year 793 as
Zabernahgouwe (Zabernachgau). Traditionally it is assumed that the name is derived from the Latin word
Taberna ("restaurant", "street station"). It is assumed that the Roman settlement in today's
Meimsheim bore this name (similar to the Alsatian place
Zabern) and that with time the place name was transferred to the surroundings or to the river. This theory is supported by the fact that there was a traffic junction in Roman Meimsheim and that the place was possibly of administrative importance for the region. The region known as the
Zabergäu, the area between the Heuchelberg and Stromberg hills, takes its name from the Zaber. == Geography ==