Dutch Last Names

These Dutch last names come from the Netherlands and Flanders and range from De Jong and Jansen to Frisian names ending in -stra and -ma, each with its meaning. Browse A to Z, or use the search to find names with van.

300 real surnames with meanings, A to Z.

A

Aalbers

Son of Aalbert, Dutch form of Albert, noble bright
Aarts

Son of Aart, Dutch short form of Arnold
Achterberg

Habitational name meaning behind the hill
Van den Akker

Dweller by the arable field
Van Amersfoort

Habitational name from the city of Amersfoort
Van Amstel

Dweller by the River Amstel
Arends

Son of Arend, Dutch form of Arnold, eagle power

B

Baas

Nickname meaning boss or master
Bakker

Occupational name for a baker
Van Basten

Of uncertain origin, possibly from Basten, a form of Sebastiaan
Van Beek

Dweller by a brook or stream
Beekman

Dweller by a brook
Berends

Son of Berend, Dutch form of Bernard, brave bear
Van den Berg

Dweller on or near a hill or mountain
Berkhout

Habitational name meaning birch wood
Van Beveren

Habitational name from Beveren in Flanders
Bijl

Occupational name from bijl, axe, for a woodcutter
Bijlsma

Frisian patronymic from Bijl, or an axe maker
Bloem

Nickname or house sign meaning flower
Blokland

Habitational name from Blokland, blocked land
Blom

Nickname or house name meaning flower
Boer

Occupational name for a farmer
De Boer

Occupational name meaning the farmer
Boersma

Frisian name meaning son of the farmer
Van Bommel

Habitational name from Bommel in Gelderland
Boonstra

Frisian name, possibly from a bean field
Bos

Dweller by a wood or forest
Van den Bosch

Dweller by the wood or forest
Bosch

Dweller by a wood, older spelling of Bos
Bosma

Frisian name formed from bos, wood
Bosman

Dweller in or worker at the woods
Bouma

Frisian name meaning son of the farmer
Bouwman

Occupational name for a farmer or builder
Van Boxtel

Habitational name from Boxtel in North Brabant
Brands

Son of Brand, Germanic for sword or fire
Van den Brink

Dweller by the village green or grassy edge
Van den Broek

Dweller by a marsh or swamp
Brouwer

Occupational name for a brewer
De Bruijn

Nickname meaning the brown one, for hair colour
De Bruin

Nickname meaning the brown, variant of De Bruijn
Bruins

Son of Bruin, nickname meaning brown
Buijs

From a short form of a Germanic personal name
Van Buren

Habitational name from Buren in Gelderland

C

Claassen

Son of Claas, Dutch short form of Nicholas
Coenen

Son of Coen, short form of Koenraad, bold counsel
Cornelissen

Son of Cornelis, from Latin Cornelius

D

Van Dalen

Dweller in the valley, or from Dalen
Van Dam

Dweller by a dam or dike
Damen

Son of Daam, Dutch short form of Adam
Van de Ven

Dweller by a fen or peat bog
Dekker

Occupational name for a thatcher or roofer
Van Dijk

Dweller by a dike
Dijkman

Dweller by a dike
Dijkstra

Frisian name meaning from the dike
Van Dongen

Habitational name from Dongen in North Brabant
Van Doorn

Dweller by a thorn bush
Van Dorp

Dweller in the village
Driessen

Son of Dries, short form of Andries, Andrew

E

Egberts

Son of Egbert, Germanic for sword bright
Van Egmond

Habitational name from Egmond in North Holland
Van Eijk

Dweller by an oak tree
Elbers

Son of Elbert, a form of Albert
Elzinga

Frisian name meaning from the alder place
Engelen

From the personal name Engel, or angel
Van Es

Dweller by an ash tree
Evers

Son of Evert, Dutch form of Everard, boar strong
Everts

Son of Evert, variant of Evers

F

Faber

Latin occupational name meaning smith
Feenstra

Frisian name meaning from the peat bog
Fokkema

Frisian patronymic from Fokke, meaning people
Franken

Son of Frank, or ethnic name for a Frank
Fransen

Son of Frans, Dutch form of Francis

G

Geerts

Son of Geert, Dutch form of Gerard, spear brave
Van Gelder

Person from the province of Gelderland
Gerrits

Son of Gerrit, Dutch form of Gerard
Gerritsen

Son of Gerrit, Dutch form of Gerard
Geurts

Son of Geurt, a form of Godfried or Gerard
Gijsbers

Son of Gijsbert, Germanic for pledge bright
Van Gils

Habitational name from Gilze in North Brabant
Goedhart

Nickname meaning good heart
Van Gogh

Habitational name from Goch, near the German border
De Graaf

Nickname or status name meaning the count
Groen

Nickname meaning green, possibly for youth
Groeneveld

Habitational name meaning green field
De Groot

Nickname meaning the big or tall one

H

De Haan

Nickname or house sign meaning the rooster
Van Halen

Habitational name from Halen in Belgian Limburg
Harmsen

Son of Harm, Dutch form of Herman
Haverkamp

Habitational name meaning oat field
Hazelhoff

Habitational name meaning hazel farm
Van der Heide

Dweller on the heath
Van der Heijden

Dweller on the heath
Heijmans

Son of Heijman, a form of Henry
Van Helden

Habitational name from Helden in Limburg
Hendriks

Son of Hendrik, Dutch form of Henry, home ruler
Hermans

Son of Herman, meaning army man
Hermsen

Son of Herm, short form of Herman
Van den Heuvel

Dweller on or near a hill
Hiemstra

Frisian name meaning from the homestead
Hoek

Dweller at a corner or bend
Hoekstra

Frisian name meaning from the corner
Van der Hoeven

Dweller at the farmsteads
Hofman

Occupational name for a farm steward
Hofstede

Dweller at a farmstead
Hollander

Person from the county of Holland
Hoogendoorn

Habitational name meaning high thorn bush
Van Hoorn

Habitational name from Hoorn in North Holland
Hopman

Occupational name for a captain or hop grower
Van der Horst

Dweller by a wooded height or brushwood
Van Houten

Dweller by a wood, or from Houten in Utrecht
Huisman

Occupational name for a farmer or householder
Hulst

Dweller by holly bushes

I

Idema

Frisian patronymic from the personal name Ide
IJzerman

Occupational name meaning iron man, an ironworker

J

Jacobs

Son of Jacob, meaning supplanter
Jager

Occupational name for a hunter
Jansen

Son of Jan, Dutch form of John
Jansma

Frisian patronymic from Jan, John
Janssen

Son of Jan, variant of Jansen
Jaspers

Son of Jasper, meaning treasurer
Jellema

Frisian patronymic from the personal name Jelle
De Jong

Nickname meaning the young, the younger of two
De Jonge

Nickname meaning the young one
Jongsma

Frisian name meaning son of the young one
Jonker

Status name meaning young lord or squire
Joosten

Son of Joost, from Justus, just

K

Kamphuis

Habitational name meaning house by the field
Keizer

Nickname meaning emperor, or a house sign
Kerkhof

Dweller by the churchyard or cemetery
Van Kessel

Habitational name from Kessel in Limburg
Kingma

Frisian patronymic from a personal name Kinge
Klaassen

Son of Klaas, Dutch short form of Nicholas
Klaver

Nickname or house sign meaning clover
Kleijn

Nickname meaning small, older spelling of Klein
Klomp

Nickname from the wooden clog, a clog maker
Kloosterman

Dweller by or worker at a monastery
Kok

Occupational name for a cook
De Koning

Nickname or house sign meaning the king
Koning

Nickname meaning king, without the article
Kooij

Dweller by a duck decoy or cage
Kooiman

Occupational name for a keeper of a duck decoy
Koopman

Occupational name for a merchant
Koster

Occupational name for a church sexton or verger
Kramer

Occupational name for a shopkeeper or peddler
Kroes

Nickname for someone with curly hair
Krol

Nickname for a person with curly hair
Kroon

House sign or nickname meaning crown
Kuijpers

Son of the cooper, older spelling of Kuipers
Kuiper

Occupational name for a cooper, a barrel maker
Kuipers

Son of the cooper or barrel maker

L

Van der Laan

Dweller by a lane or avenue
Lakeman

Dweller by a lake or drainage channel
Lammers

Son of Lambert, meaning land bright
De Lange

Nickname meaning the tall one
Langeveld

Habitational name meaning long field
Leenders

Son of Leendert, Dutch form of Leonard
De Leeuw

Nickname or house sign meaning the lion
Van Leeuwen

Habitational name from Leeuwen, meaning hills
Van Lier

Habitational name from Lier in Flanders
Ligthart

Nickname meaning light heart, a cheerful person
Van der Linden

Dweller by the lime trees
Looijen

Possibly from Lodewijk, or a dweller by a tannery
Van Loon

Habitational name from Loon, a place name
Lubbers

Son of Lubbert, Germanic for people bright
Lucassen

Son of Lucas, from Lucania

M

Maas

From the River Maas, or short form of Thomas
Martens

Son of Marten, Dutch form of Martin
Matthijssen

Son of Matthijs, Dutch form of Matthias
Van der Meer

Dweller by a lake
Meijer

Occupational name for a farm bailiff or steward
Mertens

Son of Merten, variant of Martin
Miedema

Frisian name meaning from the hay meadow
Moerman

Dweller by a moor or marsh
Mol

Nickname from the mole, for a digger or dark person
Molenaar

Occupational name for a miller
Mooij

Nickname meaning handsome or fine
Mostert

Occupational name for a mustard maker or seller
Mulder

Occupational name for a miller
Mulders

Son of the miller

N

Nagel

Occupational name for a nail maker
Van Nes

Habitational name from Nes, a headland
Nieuwenhuis

Habitational name meaning new house
Nijhuis

Eastern Dutch name meaning new house
Nijland

Habitational name meaning new land
Nijman

Nickname meaning new man, a newcomer
Noordman

Someone from the north, a northerner

O

Oomen

From oom, meaning uncle, a kinship name
Ooms

Son of the uncle, a kinship name
Van Oort

Dweller at the edge or end of a settlement
Van Oosten

Person from the east
Oosterhuis

Habitational name meaning eastern house
Otten

Son of Otto, meaning wealth
Overbeek

Dweller across the brook

P

Pauwels

Son of Pauwel, Flemish form of Paul
Peeters

Son of Peter, meaning rock, Flemish spelling
Peters

Son of Peter, meaning rock
Pieters

Son of Pieter, Dutch form of Peter
Van der Ploeg

House name or nickname from the plough
Van der Pol

Dweller on a raised mound in low land
Post

Dweller by a post or a postal courier
Postma

Frisian name formed from Post, a post or pillar
Pot

Occupational name for a potter, or a house sign
Prins

Nickname meaning prince, or a house sign
Pronk

Nickname meaning showy or ostentatious

Q

Quak

Nickname for a chatterer or from a duck's call
Quist

Possibly from Old Norse kvist, meaning twig

R

Ramakers

Occupational name for a frame or wheel maker
Reinders

Son of Reinder, Frisian form of Reinhard
Reitsma

Frisian patronymic from the personal name Reitse
Ridder

Status name meaning knight
Rietveld

Habitational name meaning reed field
Van Rijn

Dweller by the River Rhine
Roelofs

Son of Roelof, Dutch form of Rudolph, famous wolf
Van Rooij

Habitational name from Sint-Oedenrode, called Rooi
Roos

From rose, a flower nickname or house sign
Roosevelt

Habitational name meaning rose field
Van Rossum

Habitational name from Rossum in Gelderland
Rovers

Nickname meaning robber or raider
De Ruiter

Occupational name meaning the rider or horseman
Ruiter

Occupational name meaning rider or horseman
Rutten

Son of Rut, short form of Rutger

S

Sanders

Son of Sander, short form of Alexander
Schaafsma

Frisian name for a plane maker, or from Schaaf
Schaap

Nickname from sheep, for a shepherd or meek person
Van Schaik

Habitational name from Schaik in Utrecht
Scheepers

Occupational name for a shepherd
Schilder

Occupational name for a painter
Schipper

Occupational name for a skipper or boatman
Schoemaker

Occupational name for a shoemaker, older spelling
Schoenmaker

Occupational name for a shoemaker
Scholten

Occupational name for a village magistrate
Schouten

Occupational name for a sheriff or bailiff
Schreuder

Occupational name for a tailor, from schroder
Schuurman

Dweller by a barn, or a barn keeper
Sijbesma

Frisian patronymic from Sijbe, short for Sijbrand
Slager

Occupational name for a butcher
Slagter

Occupational name for a butcher, northern form
Van der Sloot

Dweller by a ditch or canal
Slot

Dweller by a castle or lock
Smit

Occupational name for a smith
Smits

Son of the smith
Sneijder

Occupational name for a tailor, older spelling
Snijders

Occupational name for a tailor, cutter
Speelman

Occupational name for a musician or player
Spijker

Occupational name for a nail maker or granary keeper
Stam

Dweller by a tree stump, or a sturdy person
Van der Steen

Dweller by the stone or stone house
Steen

Dweller by a stone or stone house
Steenbergen

Habitational name meaning stone hills
Stevens

Son of Steven, meaning crown
Swinkels

Habitational name from Swinkel in North Brabant

T

Talsma

Frisian patronymic from the personal name Tale
Te Velde

Dweller in the field, eastern Dutch
Ten Brink

Dweller at the village green, eastern Dutch
Ten Have

Dweller at the farmstead, eastern Dutch
Ter Horst

Dweller at the wooded height, eastern Dutch
Terpstra

Frisian name meaning from the terp, a dwelling mound
Teunissen

Son of Teunis, short form of Antonius
Van Tilburg

Habitational name from the city of Tilburg
Timmer

Occupational name for a carpenter
Timmermans

Son of the carpenter
Tromp

Nickname from trumpet, for a trumpeter
Tuinstra

Frisian name meaning from the garden
Tulp

House sign or nickname from the tulip

U

Ubbink

Eastern Dutch patronymic from Ubbe, a Frisian name
Uittenbogaard

Habitational name meaning from the orchard

V

Vaessen

Son of Vaes, short form of Servaas
Van der Veen

Dweller by a peat bog
Van Veen

Dweller by a peat bog
Veenstra

Frisian name meaning from the peat bog
Van der Velde

Dweller by the field
Van der Velden

Dweller by the fields
Verbeek

Contraction of van der beek, from the brook
Verhagen

Contraction of van der hagen, from the hedge
Verhoef

Contraction of van der hoef, from the farmstead
Verhoeven

Contraction of van der hoeven, from the farms
Verkerk

Contraction of van der kerk, from the church
Vermeer

Contraction of van der meer, from the lake
Vermeulen

Contraction of van der meulen, from the mill
Versteeg

Contraction of van der steeg, from the alley
Verweij

Contraction of van der weij, from the meadow
Vink

Nickname from the finch, for a cheerful person
Visser

Occupational name for a fisherman
Van Vliet

Dweller by a stream or tidal creek
Vos

Nickname from the fox, for cunning or red hair
De Vries

Ethnic name meaning the Frisian
Van Vugt

Habitational name from Vught in North Brabant

W

Van der Wal

Dweller by a rampart or embankment
Van der Werf

Dweller by a shipyard or raised yard
Van Wijk

Dweller in a hamlet or district
Willems

Son of Willem, Dutch form of William
Willemsen

Son of Willem, Dutch form of William
De Wit

Nickname meaning the white, for fair hair
Wolters

Son of Wolter, Dutch form of Walter
Wouters

Son of Wouter, Dutch form of Walter

Z

Van Zanten

Habitational name from Xanten in Germany
Van der Zee

Dweller by the sea
Van Zijl

Dweller by a sluice or drainage channel
Zijlstra

Frisian name meaning from the sluice
Zwart

Nickname meaning black, for dark hair

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Sanders

Son of Sander, short form of Alexander
Van Helden

Habitational name from Helden in Limburg
Kuijpers

Son of the cooper, older spelling of Kuipers
Van den Berg

Dweller on or near a hill or mountain
Veldhuis

Habitational name meaning house in the field
Speelman

Occupational name for a musician or player

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Common Dutch last names and their meanings

De Jong, meaning the young one, is the most common surname in the Netherlands, followed by Jansen (son of Jan), De Vries (the Frisian), Van den Berg (from the hill), Van Dijk (from the dike), Bakker (baker), Janssen, Visser (fisher), Smit (smith) and Meijer (steward). De Boer, the farmer, is close behind. Together they show the four main sources of Dutch surnames: nicknames, patronymics, places and trades.

Patronymics are especially common in the south and in Flanders, where Janssens, Peeters and Maes are typical. Occupational names include Mulder (miller), Dekker (roofer), Brouwer (brewer), Kuiper (cooper) and Schouten, from schout, a local sheriff. Nicknames describe looks or character, as in De Groot (the big one), De Wit (the white or fair one), Vos (fox) and De Bruin (the brown one). The article de at the start makes many Dutch names easy to recognise.

Dutch last names with van and other prefixes

Van means from or of and usually introduces a place: Van Dijk from the dike, Van Leeuwen from the village of Leeuwen, Van der Meer from the lake and Van Rijn from the Rhine. Unlike the German von, it is not a mark of nobility, so a Van den Berg family could have been farmers, fishermen or merchants. Other prefixes, known as tussenvoegsels, include de (the), ter and ten (at the), op (on), and combinations like van den and van der.

The prefixes follow rules that trip up outsiders. In the Netherlands, van is written in lowercase when it follows a first name or initial, as in Vincent van Gogh, and capitalised when the surname stands alone, as in Van Gogh. Dutch phone books and indexes sort by the main part of the name, so van Dijk is filed under D. In Belgium the prefix is usually capitalised in every position and counts in alphabetical order, so Van Dijk is filed under V.

Napoleon, Frisian names and Dutch families abroad

Many Dutch people, especially in the north and in rural areas, used patronymics rather than fixed surnames until the early nineteenth century. In 1811, when the Netherlands was part of the French Empire, a decree required everyone to register a hereditary surname. A popular story claims that some families chose silly names like Naaktgeboren (born naked) as a joke on the French. Most of these names actually existed earlier, and the story is largely a myth.

Frisian names from the northern province of Friesland stand out with endings like -stra, -ma and -inga, as in Dijkstra, Hoekstra, Wiersma and Feringa. Dutch colonists in New Amsterdam, later New York, brought names that are now famous in American history. Roosevelt comes from Van Rosevelt, meaning from the rose field, and Vanderbilt from Van der Bilt, after the village of De Bilt. Many American families merged the prefix into one word, as in Vandenberg and Vanderpool.

Frequently asked questions

Is van in Dutch last names a sign of nobility?

No. Van simply means from and usually points to a place, a farm or a landscape feature where the family once lived. Some Dutch noble families do have van in their names, but most people with the prefix descend from ordinary families. The German von is the one more closely linked to nobility.

How are names with van alphabetized?

In the Netherlands the prefix is ignored, so Van den Berg is filed under B. In Belgium and in most English-speaking countries the prefix is included, so the same name is filed under V. When writing in English, follow the family's own preference.

Which family names are most common in the Netherlands?

De Jong leads, followed by Jansen, De Vries, Van den Berg, Van Dijk, Bakker, Janssen, Visser, Smit and Meijer. The rankings mix nicknames, patronymics, places and trades, which reflects how Dutch surnames were formed in the first place.

Why do Frisian names end in -stra or -ma?

These are typical Frisian suffixes. The ending -stra refers to someone living in a particular place, so Dijkstra lived near a dike. The ending -ma originally marked descent or belonging, as in Wiersma. Both are common in Friesland and among Dutch emigrants from the north.