Dutch is the 56th most commonly spoken native language in the world. It is spoken by nearly 25 million people worldwide. As such, I have hand-picked 238 most common Dutch last names with meanings included.
List Of The Most Common Dutch Last Names With Meanings:
De Boer
“Farmer,” with the variations DeBoer or den Boer. It comes from ”boer.” It reached English via South Africa, where Dutch-descended farmers were called Boers.
De Weerd
Innkeeper, host, river island or floodplain.
Van den Boogaard
From boomgaard, orchard.
Van der Mark
”From the boundary.”
Donker
Dark.
Wagenaar
”Wagoner.”
Van Duijn
From a dune.
Peters
Peters is from “Peter” which is from the Greek Petros, ”rock” or ”stone.” It has many variations including Peteru in Yoruba, Peadair in Scottish Gaelic, Pedros in Persian, Pietari in Finnish, and Pere in Catalan. It is also the name of Saint Peter who was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus.
Van Oosten
From the east.
Walraven
It combines wal, battlefield, and hraban, raven.
De Heer
”Lord.”
Van der Pol
From pol, raised ground in a wetland.
Bisschop
”Bishop.”
Zijlstra
From zijl, a sluice. Zijlstra lived by one.
Stoffels
From Stoffel, short for Christoffel.
Van den Heuvel
”From a hill.”
Verhagen
”From the hedge.”
Vermeulen
From the mill.
De Jong
”Younger” or ”young.”
Hendriks
‘Son of Hendrik.’ It has Germanic roots.
Jansen
It is common in the Netherlands, ”son of Jan.” Ada Jansen was elected to the House of Representatives for 16 months.
Boon
Bean.
Verweij
”From the meadow.”
Ter Haar
From haar, a sandy ridge.
De Mol
”Mole,” and John de Mol co-created Big Brother.
Kamphuis
House on an enclosed field.
De Groot
It is pronounced duh GROHT and sounds exactly like the famous Marvel character and means “the Tall” or “the Great.” It is in the top 15 most common surnames in the Netherlands.
De Vries
”The Frisian,” and is related with Friesland, a province of the Netherlands.
Ten Brink
”At the brink,” a grassy edge of a village.
Van der Zee
”From the sea,” and James Van Der Zee photographed Harlem in the twenties.
Van Leeuwen
Van Leeuwen is a toponymic name that has a meaning that I like, “of the lion.”
Van den Berg
”From the mountain.”
Dekker
Dekker has roots in the Germanic word Decker, ”thatcher” or ”roofer.”
Koopman
Merchant. Koop is a cousin of English cheap, once a word for trade.
Duif
”Dove.”
Cornelissen
Son of Cornelis.
Van Dijk
It has its origins in the Netherlands and is meaning ”of the dike.” Virgil van Dijk plays for the Premier League club Liverpool.
Brouwer
‘Brewer of beer.’
Kuipers
“Cooper’s.” Kuiper and Kuypers are spelling variations.
Evers
Son of Evert, or wild boar.
De Kort
”Short.”
Gijsbers
”Son of Gijsbert.”
Verschuren
From a barn.
Van Gogh
From Goch, a German town near the Dutch border.
Koster
”Sexton,” and Haarlem credits Laurens Coster with printing before Gutenberg.
Van der Horst
”From the thicket,” where horst is brushwood on higher ground.
Blom
Blom is from bloem, the word for flower.
Huisman
Huisman is symbolizing a farmer who held and worked his own land.
Blaauw
”Blue.”
Kramer
Sven Kramer has a record 9 World Allround titles. In Low German and Dutch a kramer was a small traveling merchant.
Bakker
”Baker.”
Janssen
“Son of Jan.”
Van Wijnen
“From the wines.” Wyns and Weijnen are all variants of Van Wijnen.
Visser
‘Fisherman’ in English. It has the following variants: Vissers and De Visser. Leo Visser won the European championship in 1989.
Verdonk
Donk is a sandy rise in a marsh. Verdonk is ”from the donk.”
Stuurman
Helmsman.
Goedhart
Goedhart has a meaning that I love: ”good heart.”
Haring
”Herring.”
Van Kampen
From Kampen, a Hanseatic town on the IJssel.
Paus
Pope.
Aalbers
”Son of Aalbert.”
Kok
Kok is rooted in the word kok (cook). In the Netherlands, Kok is ranked in the top 30.
Nauta
From Latin nauta, sailor.
De Brabander
From Brabant.
Damen
Daam is the Dutch form of Adam, so Damen is ”son of Daam.”
Van Eijk
”From the oak,” and painter Jan van Eyck spelled it with a y.
Roelofs
”Son of Roelof.”
Jacobs
It is a form of the Hebrew Jacob, “holder of the heel” or “supplanter.” Jacob was one of the fathers of the Jewish nation. In the Bible, Jacob’s story begins in Genesis 25.
Smit
Smit is the Dutch equivalent of the English Smith which is the most prevalent surname in the United Kingdom.
Rademaker
From rad, wheel. A rademaker was a wheelwright.
Van der Poel
Mathieu van der Poel (”from the pool”) is a grandson of Raymond Poulidor.
Kroon
”Crown.”
Van der Woude
”From a forest.”
Michiels
Son of Michiel.
Hofman
From hof, a manor farm. A hofman worked on it.
Vonk
”Spark.”
De Geus
”Beggar,” a word Dutch rebels used it a badge against Spain.
Meijer
Meijer refers to a steward or a bailiff and has Dutch and German origins.
Van Houten
”From the wood”. Coenraad van Houten patented a press for cocoa powder.
Mostert
From mostert, mustard. A mostert made or sold it.
De Jager
Hunter.
Schrijver
”Writer.”
Van der Vaart
Rafael van der Vaart (”from the canal”) played for Real Madrid.
Tuinstra
”Garden dweller.”
Van der Meer
Van der Meer means ”of the lake” or ”from the lake.”
Mulder
Mulder was assigned to an individual who worked at a grain mill.
Schilder
Painter.
Van Dalen
”From the valleys.”
Bastiaans
Son of Bastiaan.
Barends
”Son of Barend”. Willem Barentsz was the root of the Barents Sea.
Klein
”Small.”
Knecht
Servant, or a young farmhand.
Bos
Bos is found in the top 15 and means ”forest” or ”woods.”
Vos
”Fox.”
Leenders
”Son of Leendert.”
De Leeuw
It has a meaning that I love, ”the lion.” Bas de Leeuw published Tales of Trash in 2017.
Van Rijn
Rembrandt van Rijn’s surviving works are about 300 paintings. He was born in Leiden near the river.
Sneijder
”Tailor,” and is a form of the German Schneider and English Snyder.
De Lange
”The tall one.”
Groen
Groen (”green”) was problably used for someone who lived by a green or a grassy patch.
Koning
”King.”
De Wit
De Wit means the white. DeWitt and De Witt are all good forms.
Lammers
“Son of Lammert.”
Schouten
Schouten is referring to a medieval official. Variations that I find interesting are Scholte and Schout.
De Graaf
De Graaf is meaning “the earl” or “the count.” Another form is De Graaff.
Hoekstra
From the corner.
Bosman
It is connected to bos, ”wood.” John Bosman represented the Netherlands at the 1994 World Cup.
Dijkstra
The suffix stra is Frisian for dweller or inhabitant, so Dijkstra is about a family living close to a dike.
Koeman
“Cow man”.
De Bruijn
De Bruijn is a variant of Brown that is a nickname for hair or complexion.
De Haan
”The rooster” is the meaning of De Haan.
Wolters
It is the Dutch form of the English Walters which comes from the Old German wald (that means ”to rule”) and heri (warrior).
Van Beek
“From Beek.”
Driessen
”Son of Dries.”
Vermeer
It is a contraction of van der Meer, and meer is Dutch for lake. As such Vermeer means “from the lake.”
De Rijk
”Rich,” or mighty.
Moerman
From moer, peat. A moerman dug it.
Coenen
Son of Coen.
Van Niekerk
”From the new church”. Wayde van Niekerk broke a world record in the four hundred metres.
Van Loon
From Loon, or from a loo, a clearing in woodland.
De Zwart
”Black,” for dark hair.
Schaap
”Sheep,” or a nickname for a shepherd.
Stevens
”Son of Steven.”
Slager
”Butcher.”
Hoogendoorn
High thorn.
Willems
Willems is symbolizing “son of Willem” and Willem is the Dutch equivalent of William in English.
Van Dam
”An individual who lived near a dam.”
Roos
”Rose.”
Sanders
“Son of Sander,” and is a diminutive of Alexander (“defender of men”).
Molenaar
Molenaar is symbolizing miller, the man who ground grain at a wind or water mill.
Van der Veen
“From the peat bog.” Veenstra is the Frisian variation.
Hermans
Hermans (”son of Herman”) has Germanic roots and is made from “army” and “man.”
Bouwman
”Farmer,” or builder.
Peeters
Peeters is Peter in English and I have explained what Peter means at the start of the article.
Kooistra
From kooi, a duck decoy. Kooistra lived near one.
Haverkamp
”Oat field”.
Van Zanten
From Xanten, Siegfried’s birthplace in the Nibelungenlied.
Thijssen
Son of Thijs, short for Matthijs, ”gift of God.”
De Ridder
”Knight.”
Van der Laan
”From a tree-lined lane.”
Appel
”Apple,” and Karel Appel co-founded the CoBrA art group.
Prins
“Prince”. Ada Prins was the first woman in the Netherlands to earn a PhD. in chemistry.
Hoogenboom
”High tree.”
Den Hartog
”Duke”.
Vervoort
Voort is an old word for ford, so Vervoort is ”from the ford.”
Spijker
A nail, or a old word for a granary.
Simons
”Son of Simon,” and Mennonites are named after Menno Simons.
Zwaan
Swan.
Timmermans
Timmermans is the trade name for a carpenter, with the meaning of “the carpenter’s.” It is linked with the German Zimmermann and English Carpenter.
Van Vliet
“From the brook”.
Martens
Martens is the Dutch form of Martin, “dedicated to Mars.”
Van der Linden
“From the linden tree.”
Van der Heijden
“From the moor” or “from the heath”.
Gerritsen
Gerritsen has origins in Gerrit, the Dutch diminutive of the German Gerard (”strong with a spear”).
Den Ouden
”The old one.”
Kraai
Crow.
Robben
Arjen Robben (”son of Robbe”) scored a late winner in a Champions League final.
Wessels
”Son of Wessel”.
Van Gelder
From Gelderland, a province after Geldern, a German town.
Schipper
Schipper worked as a bargeman on the rivers and canals.
Stam
”Trunk,” stem, tribe or lineage.
Verhulst
From a holly bush.
Bontekoe
”Spotted cow” is a meaning that I like.
De Klerk
”Clerk,” and F. W. de Klerk shared a Nobel Peace Prize with Nelson Mandela.
Akkerman
Field worker, from akker, a cousin of English acre.
Klaassen
Klaassen is from Klaas, a variation of Nicolaas (“victory of the people”).
De Valk
Falcon.
Van Buren
”From Buren,” and Martin Van Buren is the only US president whose first language was Dutch.
Goossens
”Son of Goos.”
Tichelaar
From tichel, a word for brick. A tichelaar made bricks.
Ten Cate
From kate, a cottage. Ten Cate is ”at the cottage.”
Van der Wal
Van der Wal most likely is connected to the Waal, a main branch of the Rhine.
Van den Broek
”From a marsh.”
Wever
”Weaver.”
Maas
From the Maas river, or a short form of Thomas.
Huygens
Christiaan Huygens (”son of Huig”) spotted Titan, Saturn’s largest moon.
Kievit
”Lapwing,” a bird named after its call.
Verhoeven
“From the homestead”.
Vanderbilt
From De Bilt, a village near Utrecht. Bilt is raised ground.
Steen
”Stone”. Dutch people call a messy home a Jan Steen household.
Westra
”Westerner”.
Van der Ploeg
From the plough.
Pauwels
”Son of Pauwel.”
Nieuwenhuis
”New house.”
Van Hoorn
”From Hoorn”. Cape Horn is after this town.
Den Uyl
Joop den Uyl (”the owl”) was prime minister in the seventies.
Kroes
From kroes, Dutch for curly or frizzy hair.
Dirksen
Son of Dirk.
De Wolf
”Wolf.”
Herder
”Shepherd.”
Kruidenier
Grocer, from kruid, a herb or spice.
De Ruiter
Admiral Michiel de Ruyter (”the rider”) raided the English fleet on the Medway.
Verbruggen
”From the bridge.”
Adriaanse
”Son of Adriaan.”
De Munck
”Monk.”
Klaver
”Clover.”
Pannekoek
”Pancake,” and a crater on the Moon is named after astronomer Anton Pannekoek.
Terpstra
From terp, a mound raised against floods.
Engels
”English,” angel, son of Engel, or son of Engelbert.
Baars
Perch.
Keijzer
”Emperor.”
De Rooij
From rooi, a forest clearing.
Van Tol
”From the toll.”
Arends
Arend is Dutch for eagle. Arends is ”son of Arend.”
Van der Merwe
From the Merwede river, and one of the most common surnames among Afrikaners.
Jurgens
”Son of Jurgen”. Anton Jurgens’s margarine firm became part of Unilever.
Van Os
From Oss.
Snoek
Pike.
Sterk
Strong.
Lubbers
Ruud Lubbers (”son of Lubbert”) was prime minister for twelve years.
Van der Velde
From a field.
Veldhuis
”Field house.”
Draaijer
Woodturner.
Verkerk
”From the church.”
Vroom
”Pious,” or brave in Middle Dutch.
Ketelaar
”Kettle maker.”
Eikelboom
It combines eikel (acorn) and boom (tree).
Schoenmaker
Shoemaker.
Reinders
”Son of Reinder.”
De Haas
Hare.
Van Amstel
From the Amstel, a river that Amsterdam has origins.
Teunissen
”Son of Teunis.”
Brandsma
”Son of Brand,” and Titus Brandsma, a Frisian priest, was made a saint.
Zeeman
Pieter Zeeman (”seaman”) shared a Nobel Prize in Physics with Hendrik Lorentz.
Den Hollander
”The Hollander.”
Schreuder
From schroden, to cut. A schreuder was a tailor.
Kistemaker
”Chest maker.”
Van de Wiel
A wiel is a pond left by a dike breach, so this is ”from the pond.”
Hoogland
High land.
De Reus
”Giant.”
Mooij
Handsome.
Tulp
”Tulip.” Surgeon Nicolaes Tulp named himself after one on his house.
Huijbers
”Son of Huibert.”
Van Wijk
From a wijk, a town quarter, or from one of several villages called Wijk.
Joosten
”Son of Joost.”
Bleeker
”Bleacher” of cloth, and Bleecker Street in Manhattan comes from a family with this name.
Kraan
Crane, or tap.
Van der Burg
”From a castle.”
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