During the GDR regime, Börngen restricted himself to politically neutral names for his asteroids, such as topics related to Thuringia or famous scientists and composers.
After the German reunification, he chose systematically historical, cultural, scientific and geographical namings, and at times honored amateur astronomers.
[3] Freimut Börngen achieved great reputation in the international scientific community for his human qualities and the well-substantiated choice of names.
In 2006, he was awarded the Bundesverdienstkreuz am Bande (Cross of Merit on ribbon) by German Federal President Horst Köhler.
The main-belt asteroid 3859 Börngen, discovered by astronomer Edward Bowell at the U.S. Anderson Mesa Station in 1987, was named in his honor.