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 the 34 most common Dutch last names with meanings included.
De Boer
De Boer means “the farmer” with the variations DeBoer or den Boer. It comes from the Dutch word ”boer.”
Peters
Peters is from the name “Peter” which is from the Greek Petros that is meaning ”rock” or ”stone.” Peters 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 whoi was one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus.
De Jong
De Jong is a Dutch surname which means the younger of the young.
Hendriks
Hendriks is symbolizing ‘son of Hendrik.’ It has Germanic roots.
Jansen
Jansen is common in the Netherlands and means ”son of Jan.” Ada Jansen bears this name and was elected to the House of Representatives for 16 months.
De Groot
De Groot 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
De Vries is meaning the Frisian and is related with Friesland, a province of the Netherlands.
Van Leeuwen
Van Leeuwen is a toponymic name that has a meaning that I like, “of the lion.”
Van den Berg
Van Der Berg means “from the mountain.”
Dekker
The Dutch occupational name Dekker has roots in the Germanic word Decker and means ”thatcher” or ”roofer.”
Van Dijk
Van Dijk 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.’
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Bakker
Bakker means ”baker.”
Facts about the Dutch language
The longest Dutch word in the dictionary is 35 letters long.
The Netherlands has only one official spoken language, Dutch.
Janssen
Janssen means “son of Jan.”
Van Wijnen
Van Wijnen is a Dutch surname that is symbolizing “from the wines.” Wyns and Weijnen are all variants of Van Wijnen.
Visser
Visser means ‘fisherman’ in English. It has the following variants: Vissers and De Visser. Leo Visser won the European championship in 1989.
Kok
Kok is rooted in the word kok (cook). In the Netherlands, Kok is ranked in the top 30.
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Jacobs
Jacobs is the Dutch form of the Hebrew Jacob (that means ”may God protect”). 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.
Meijer
Meijer refers to a steward or a bailiff and has Dutch and German origins.
Van der Meer
Van der Meer signifies ”of the lake” or ”from the lake.”
Mulder
Mulder is symbolizing “the maker of wooden bowls” in German. In Dutch Mulder is an occupational surname assigned to an individual who worked at a grain mill.
Bos
Bos is found in the top 15 and means ”forest” or ”woods.”
How to choose a Dutch name for your baby
Look within your extended family tree.
Do not choose a name that is too similar to those you chose for older siblings. Think about your surname.
Check the meaning of the Dutch name.
Try to avoid anything too trendy.
Vos
Vos is a Dutch surname that is meaning fox.
De Leeuw
De Leeuw is a Dutch toponymic surname with a meaning that I love, ”the lion.” Bas de Leeuw published Tales of Trash in 2017.
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
Bosman is connected to the Dutch word bos that means ”wood.” John Bosman represented the Netherlands at the 1994 World Cup.
Wolters
Wolters is the Dutch form of the English Walters which comes from the Old German wald (that means ”to rule”) and heri (warrior).
Driessen
Driessen is a patronymic name and means son of Dries.
Vermeer
From the sea.
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.”
Peeters
Peeters is Peter in English and I have explained what Peter means at the start of the article.
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