The name of the wine estate, Coetsenburg, is an amalgamation of the Dutch words Coetsee s'n Burg, a colloquial form of Coetsee en zijn Burg which contains a double entendre. Coetsee is the surname of the estate's founder, Dirk Coetsee, a one-time captain of the Stellenbosch schutterij (civic guard or infantry) and Hoofdheemraad (mayor) of Stellenbosch.() In Dutch and German, burg means fortress, castle, citadel, stronghold or acropolis (the first permanent European settlers in the area were primarily Dutch-speaking). However, in Afrikaans, berg and burg mean mountain. Thus Coetsenburg can be interpreted either as Coetsee and his Mountain or Coetsee and his Fortress. The mountain referred to in the name is the Groteberg or Stellenbosch Mountain, part of which is on the estate.