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Belgian Last Names

These Belgian last names are real family names from Flanders, Wallonia and Brussels, listed A to Z with meanings. Flemish names like Peeters, Maes and Van Damme sit beside Walloon names such as Leroy, Masson and Delforge.

276 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

  • Van Acker

    Flemish; from the field (akker)

  • Adam

    Walloon; from the given name Adam

  • Van Aelst

    Flemish; from Aalst

  • Aerts

    Flemish; son of Aert (Arnold)

  • Van Aken

    Flemish; from Aachen

  • Anthonissen

    Flemish; son of Anthonis (Anthony)

B

  • De Backer

    Flemish; the baker

  • Baert

    Flemish; the bearded one

  • Baeten

    Flemish; son of Baet (Bartholomew)

  • Bastin

    Walloon; short for Sébastien

  • Bauwens

    Flemish; son of Bauwen (Baldwin)

  • Beaufays

    Walloon; from Beaufays, fair beech wood

  • Beckers

    Flemish; the baker

  • Bernard

    Walloon; from Bernard, brave bear

  • Bertrand

    Walloon; from Bertrand, bright raven

  • De Bock

    Flemish; the billy goat

  • Bodart

    Walloon; from Germanic Bodhard, messenger and hardy

  • Bogaerts

    Flemish; from the orchard (boomgaard)

  • Bosmans

    Flemish; man from the woods

  • Van den Bossche

    Flemish; from the wood

  • Van den Broeck

    Flemish; from the marsh or wet meadow

  • De Bruyne

    Flemish; the brown-haired one

  • Buysse

    Flemish; possibly from buis, pipe, or a drinker

C

  • Van Camp

    Flemish; from the enclosed field (kamp)

  • Charlier

    Walloon; cartwright or wheelwright

  • Claes

    Flemish; from Claes, short for Nicolaas

  • Claeys

    Flemish; son of Claes (Nicholas)

  • De Clercq

    Flemish; the clerk or cleric

  • De Cock

    Flemish; the cook

  • Coene

    Flemish; the bold one (koen)

  • Colin

    Walloon; pet form of Nicolas

  • Collard

    Walloon; pet form of Nicolas

  • Collignon

    Walloon; pet form of Nicolas

  • De Coninck

    Flemish; the king, a nickname

  • Cools

    Flemish; son of Cool, short for Nicolaas

  • Coppens

    Flemish; son of Coppe, short for Jacob

  • Cornelis

    Flemish; from the given name Cornelis

  • Cuypers

    Flemish; cooper, barrel maker

D

  • Daems

    Flemish; son of Daem (Adam)

  • Van Damme

    Flemish; from Damme, a place by a dam

  • Van de Putte

    Flemish; from the well or pit

  • Van de Velde

    Flemish; from the field

  • Van de Walle

    Flemish; from the rampart or wall

  • Deckers

    Flemish; roofer or thatcher

  • Declercq

    Flemish; the clerk, joined spelling

  • Degroote

    Flemish; the big one

  • Delcourt

    Walloon; from the court or farmyard

  • Delforge

    Walloon; from the forge

  • Delhaye

    Walloon; from the hedge

  • Delmotte

    Walloon; from the motte, a mound

  • Delvaux

    Walloon; from the valleys

  • Denis

    Walloon; from Denis (Dionysius)

  • Desmet

    Flemish; the smith, joined spelling

  • Dessart

    Walloon; from the clearing (sart)

  • Dethier

    Walloon; son of Thierry

  • Detry

    Walloon; from the tri, common pasture land

  • Dewulf

    Flemish; the wolf

  • Dhaene

    Flemish; the rooster

  • Dierickx

    Flemish; son of Dierick (Theodoric)

  • Dubois

    Walloon; from the wood

  • Dubuisson

    Walloon; from the thicket or bush

  • Dujardin

    Walloon; from the garden

  • Dumont

    Walloon; from the hill or mountain

  • Dupont

    Walloon; from the bridge

  • Dupuis

    Walloon; from the well

  • Van Dyck

    Flemish; from the dike

E

  • Van Eeckhout

    Flemish; from the oak wood

  • Engelen

    Flemish; son of Engel

  • Englebert

    Walloon; from Englebert, bright Angle

  • Everaert

    Flemish; from Everaert, strong as a boar

  • Evrard

    Walloon; from Évrard, strong as a boar

F

  • Fontaine

    Walloon; from the spring or fountain

  • François

    Walloon; from François (Francis)

G

  • Geerts

    Flemish; son of Geert (Gerard)

  • Georges

    Walloon; from the given name Georges

  • Gérard

    Walloon; from Gérard, brave spear

  • Gérardy

    Walloon; son of Gérard

  • Gevaert

    Flemish; from Gevaert, gift and bold

  • Gielen

    Flemish; son of Giel (Giles)

  • Gilles

    Walloon; from Gilles (Giles)

  • Gillet

    Walloon; pet form of Gilles (Giles)

  • Gilson

    Walloon; son of Gilles

  • Gobert

    Walloon; from Germanic Godbert, bright god

  • Goethals

    Flemish; good neck, a nickname

  • Goffin

    Walloon; possibly from Godfrid, God's peace

  • Goossens

    Flemish; son of Goossen (Gozewijn)

  • Van Gorp

    Flemish; from Gorp, a hamlet in the Kempen

  • Govaerts

    Flemish; son of Govaert (Godfrey)

  • De Graeve

    Flemish; the count, or a count's servant

  • Grégoire

    Walloon; from Grégoire (Gregory)

  • Guillaume

    Walloon; from Guillaume (William)

  • Gustin

    Walloon; short for Augustin

H

  • Hanin

    Walloon; possibly a pet form of Jean

  • Hardy

    Walloon; bold, daring

  • Van Hecke

    Flemish; from the gate or fence

  • Hendrickx

    Flemish; son of Hendrik (Henry)

  • Henry

    Walloon; from the given name Henri

  • Hermans

    Flemish; son of Herman

  • Van der Heyden

    Flemish; from the heath

  • Hoebeke

    Flemish; possibly from a place with a brook

  • Van Hoecke

    Flemish; from the corner (hoek)

  • D'Hondt

    Flemish; the dog

  • Van Hoof

    Flemish; from the farm or court (hof)

  • Van Hoorebeke

    Flemish; from Horebeke in East Flanders

  • Hoornaert

    Flemish; horn maker, or a horn blower

  • Hoste

    Flemish; possibly host or innkeeper

  • Houben

    Flemish (Limburg); son of Hubert

  • Van Houtte

    Flemish; from the wood

  • Van Hove

    Flemish; from the farmstead (hoeve)

  • Hubert

    Walloon; from Hubert, bright mind

  • Van Hul

    Flemish; from the hill (hul)

  • Huyghe

    Flemish; from Huyghe (Hugh)

  • Huys

    Flemish; house, one who lived at the house

J

  • Jacob

    Walloon; from the given name Jacob

  • Jacobs

    Flemish; son of Jacob

  • Jacquet

    Walloon; little Jacques

  • Jadot

    Walloon; possibly a pet form of Jacques

  • Jansen

    Flemish; son of Jan (John)

  • Janssen

    Flemish; son of Jan (John)

  • Janssens

    Flemish; son of Jan (John)

  • De Jonghe

    Flemish; the young one

  • Jorissen

    Flemish; son of Joris (George)

  • Joseph

    Walloon; from the given name Joseph

K

  • Kerckhofs

    Flemish; from the churchyard

  • De Keyser

    Flemish; the emperor, a nickname

L

  • Lacroix

    Walloon; from the cross

  • Van Laere

    Flemish; from the heath or clearing (laar)

  • Lallemand

    Walloon; the German

  • Laloux

    Walloon; the wolf

  • Lambert

    Walloon; from Lambert, bright land

  • Lambot

    Walloon; pet form of Lambert

  • Lambrechts

    Flemish; son of Lambrecht (Lambert)

  • Laurent

    Walloon; from Laurent (Lawrence)

  • Lauwers

    Flemish; son of Lauwer (Laurence)

  • Leblanc

    Walloon; the white or fair-haired one

  • Lebrun

    Walloon; the brown-haired one

  • Leclercq

    Walloon; the clerk or scholar

  • Lecocq

    Walloon; the rooster, a proud man

  • Lecomte

    Walloon; the count, or his servant

  • Leemans

    Flemish; man from loamy ground (leem)

  • Lefebvre

    Walloon; the smith

  • Legrand

    Walloon; the tall or big one

  • Lejeune

    Walloon; the young one

  • Lemaire

    Walloon; the mayor

  • Lemaître

    Walloon; the master

  • Lemmens

    Flemish; son of Lemmen, short for Lambrecht

  • Lemoine

    Walloon; the monk

  • Lenaerts

    Flemish; son of Lenaert (Leonard)

  • Lenoir

    Walloon; the black-haired one

  • Léonard

    Walloon; from Léonard, lion-strong

  • Leroy

    Walloon; the king, a nickname

  • Lhoest

    Walloon; possibly from the east, or the host

  • Libert

    Walloon; from Germanic Leodbert, bright people

  • Lievens

    Flemish; son of Lieven (Livinus)

  • Van der Linden

    Flemish; from the linden trees

  • Van Loon

    Flemish; from Loon (Borgloon) in Limburg

M

  • Maertens

    Flemish; son of Maerten (Martin)

  • Maes

    Flemish; short form of Thomas

  • Marchal

    Walloon; farrier or blacksmith (maréchal)

  • Marchand

    Walloon; merchant

  • Maréchal

    Walloon; farrier or blacksmith

  • Martens

    Flemish; son of Marten (Martin)

  • Martin

    Walloon; from Martin, of Mars

  • Masson

    Walloon; mason

  • Mathieu

    Walloon; from Mathieu (Matthew)

  • Mathy

    Walloon; short for Mathieu

  • Mees

    Flemish; short for Bartholomeus

  • Meeus

    Flemish; short for Bartholomeus

  • Mertens

    Flemish; son of Merten (Martin)

  • Meulemans

    Flemish; the miller

  • De Mey

    Flemish; May, possibly born in May

  • De Meyer

    Flemish; the steward or tenant farmer

  • Michaux

    Walloon; pet form of Michel

  • Michiels

    Flemish; son of Michiel (Michael)

  • Mignon

    Walloon; darling, sweet one

  • Minet

    Walloon; possibly kitten, a pet name

  • Moens

    Flemish; son of Moen, short for Simon

  • Van Mol

    Flemish; from Mol in the Kempen

  • Moreau

    Walloon; dark-skinned or dark-haired

  • Mortier

    Flemish; mortar, possibly a mason

N

  • Nicolas

    Walloon; from Nicolas (Nicholas)

  • Nijs

    Flemish; short for Denijs (Dionysius)

  • Noël

    Walloon; Christmas, one born at Christmas

  • Noirhomme

    Walloon; the dark man

O

  • Van Opstal

    Flemish; from Opstal, a place name

P

  • Paquay

    Walloon; born at Easter (Pâques)

  • Paquet

    Walloon; bundle, possibly a packer

  • Parmentier

    Walloon; tailor of trimmings and ornaments

  • Van Parys

    Flemish; from Paris, or a Paris house sign

  • De Pauw

    Flemish; the peacock, a vain person

  • Pauwels

    Flemish; son of Pauwel (Paul)

  • Peeters

    Flemish; son of Pieter (Peter)

  • Petit

    Walloon; the small one

  • Pierre

    Walloon; from the given name Pierre

  • Pieters

    Flemish; son of Pieter (Peter)

  • Piette

    Walloon; possibly magpie, a chatterer

  • Pirard

    Walloon; pet form of Pierre

  • Piret

    Walloon; pet form of Pierre

  • Pirotte

    Walloon; pet form of Pierre

  • Pirson

    Walloon; son of Pierre

  • Poncelet

    Walloon; pet form of Ponce

R

  • Raes

    Flemish; short for Erasmus or a Germanic name

  • Remacle

    Walloon; from Saint Remacle of Stavelot

  • Renard

    Walloon; the fox, or from Reginhard

  • Richard

    Walloon; from Richard, powerful ruler

  • De Ridder

    Flemish; the knight

  • Robert

    Walloon; from Robert, bright fame

  • Roels

    Flemish; son of Roel (Roland)

  • Van Rompuy

    Flemish; possibly from a Brabant place name

  • Van Rossem

    Flemish; from Rossum

  • Rousseau

    Walloon; red-haired

  • Van Roy

    Flemish; from the clearing (rode)

S

  • Schepers

    Flemish; shepherd

  • Segers

    Flemish; son of Seger, victory army

  • Seghers

    Flemish; son of Seger

  • Servais

    Walloon; from Saint Servatius

  • Simon

    Walloon; from the given name Simon

  • Slegers

    Flemish; possibly one who strikes, a hammerer

  • De Smet

    Flemish; the smith

  • Smets

    Flemish; son of the smith

  • Stassen

    Flemish (Limburg); son of Stas (Eustace)

  • Van Steenkiste

    Flemish; possibly from a place called stone chest

  • Stevens

    Flemish; son of Steven (Stephen)

  • Stroobants

    Flemish; possibly a maker of straw bands

  • Swinnen

    Flemish; possibly from a Germanic name with swind, strong

T

  • Tack

    Flemish; branch or twig, a nickname

  • Thiry

    Walloon; from Thierry (Theodoric)

  • Thomas

    Walloon; from the given name Thomas

  • Thys

    Flemish; short form of Mathijs (Matthew)

  • Timmermans

    Flemish; carpenter

  • Toussaint

    Walloon; All Saints, born on All Saints' Day

V

  • Vandamme

    Flemish; from Damme, joined spelling

  • Vanden Eynde

    Flemish; from the end of the village

  • Vandenberghe

    Flemish; from the hill

  • Vanderstraeten

    Flemish; from the streets

  • Vandevelde

    Flemish; from the field, joined spelling

  • Vanhee

    Flemish; from the heath

  • Vanhoof

    Flemish; from the farm or court (hof)

  • Vanhoutte

    Flemish; from the wood (hout)

  • Verachtert

    Flemish; possibly one living at the back (achter)

  • Verbeeck

    Flemish; from the brook

  • Verbeke

    Flemish; from the brook

  • Verbist

    Flemish; from the bist, a common pasture

  • Verbruggen

    Flemish; from the bridge

  • Vercammen

    Flemish; possibly from the brewery (cam)

  • Vercauteren

    Flemish; from the cauter, an open arable field

  • Vereecken

    Flemish; from the oaks

  • Verhaegen

    Flemish; from the hedge

  • Verhelst

    Flemish; from the holly thicket

  • Verheyden

    Flemish; from the heath

  • Verheyen

    Flemish; from the heath

  • Verhoeven

    Flemish; from the farmsteads (hoeven)

  • Verlinden

    Flemish; from the linden trees

  • Vermeersch

    Flemish; from the marshy meadow

  • Vermeiren

    Flemish; from the lake or pond (meer)

  • Vermeulen

    Flemish; of the mill, the miller

  • Verschueren

    Flemish; from the barn (schuur)

  • Verstraete

    Flemish; from the street

  • Vervoort

    Flemish; from the ford

  • Vincent

    Walloon; from Vincent, conquering

  • Vlaeminck

    Flemish; the Fleming

  • De Vos

    Flemish; the fox

W

  • Warnier

    Walloon; from Germanic Warinhari, guard army

  • Wathelet

    Walloon; pet form of Wathier (Walter)

  • Wauters

    Flemish; son of Wauter (Walter)

  • Wéry

    Walloon; possibly from a Germanic name Werric

  • Wijns

    Flemish; possibly wine seller, or son of Wijn

  • De Wilde

    Flemish; the wild one

  • Willems

    Flemish; son of Willem (William)

  • Wilmet

    Walloon; pet form of Guillaume

  • Wilmotte

    Walloon; pet form of Guillaume

  • De Winter

    Flemish; winter, a nickname

  • De Wit

    Flemish; the white or fair-haired one

  • De Wolf

    Flemish; the wolf

  • Wouters

    Flemish; son of Wouter (Walter)

  • Wuyts

    Flemish; possibly son of Wout (Walter)

Generate random belgian surnames

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Results (6)

  • François

    Walloon; from François (Francis)

  • Van de Velde

    Flemish; from the field

  • Noël

    Walloon; Christmas, one born at Christmas

  • Colin

    Walloon; pet form of Nicolas

  • Lebrun

    Walloon; the brown-haired one

  • Willems

    Flemish; son of Willem (William)

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    The most common Belgian last names and meanings

    Flemish patronymics fill the top of the national rankings. Peeters means son of Pieter, Janssens son of Jan, Mertens son of Merten, a form of Martin, Willems son of Willem and Wouters son of Wouter, Walter. Maes is a short form of Thomas, Claes of Nicolaas and Goossens comes from Goos, a short form of an old Germanic name. The final -s works like a possessive, so these names originally meant Pieter's son or Jan's son.

    Walloon names follow French patterns, with Dubois (of the wood), Lambert, Martin, Dupont (of the bridge), Simon and Laurent among the most familiar. Leroy means the king and Lejeune the young one, both nicknames. Walloon dialects produced pet forms ending in -et and -otte, such as Gillet from Gilles and Piret and Pirotte from Pierre. Names beginning with Del, like Delhaye (from the hedge) and Delforge (from the forge), are also typical of the south.

    Occupations, places and nicknames in both languages

    Many trades appear in both languages. The smith is De Smet or Desmet in Flemish and Lefebvre or Fabry in French. The steward or tenant farmer is De Meyer, and the mayor Lemaire. The clerk is De Clercq in the north and Leclercq in the south. The mill gives Vermeulen and Dumoulin, the carpenter Timmermans and Charpentier, and the cook De Cock and Lequeux. Masson is a mason, and Charlier a cartwright.

    Place names often begin with Van, from, or Ver, a short form of van der, from the. Van Damme comes from Damme, a town near Bruges, Van de Velde from the field and Van den Broeck from the marshy ground. Verstraete means from the street, Vereecken from the oaks and Verheyden from the heath. Flemish nicknames add character, such as De Bruyne (the brown-haired one), De Groote (the big one) and De Winter, perhaps for someone born in winter.

    Tips for reading and searching Belgian names

    Flemish surnames keep old spellings that confuse English readers. The ae in Maes and Claes is a long a, so Maes sounds like mahs. The uy in Van Rompuy is close to the Dutch ui, roughly oy, and the final ck in De Clercq is just a k sound. The same name can be written as one word or several, such as Desmet or De Smet and Vandenberghe or Van den Berghe, so search for both forms.

    For a character, think about language and region. A West Flemish name often ends in -e, like Verstraete or Vandamme. A Liège or Namur family would carry a Walloon name, while Brussels mixes both. The small German-speaking area in the east adds names familiar from the Rhineland, such as Schmitz. Italian names are common in Wallonia too, since many Italian families arrived to work in the coal mines after 1946, including the family of former prime minister Elio Di Rupo.

    Frequently asked questions

    How do you pronounce Belgian last names with ae or uy?

    In old Flemish spelling, ae is a long a, so Maes sounds like mahs and Claes like klahs. The uy combination is close to the Dutch ui, a sound between oy and ow. So Van Rompuy is roughly van ROM-poy.

    Is De Smet the same name as Lefebvre?

    They share a meaning. De Smet is Flemish for the smith, and Lefebvre is its French counterpart, from the Latin faber. Many Belgian names come in these matching pairs, one from each side of the language border.

    What does Ver- mean at the start of a name?

    Ver is a shortened form of van der, meaning from the. So Vermeulen means from the mill, Verstraete from the street and Verheyden from the heath. It is especially common in West Flanders and East Flanders.

    Where does the name Van Damme come from?

    Van Damme means from Damme, a small historic town near Bruges that was once an important port. The name is also written Vandamme. Actor Jean-Claude Van Damme, born in Brussels, made the name known worldwide.

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