Aaij DutchDerived from the given name
Aaij, a short form of
Adriaan and other names.
Aaldenberg DutchOriginally denoted a person who came from an uncertain place called
Aaldenberg, meaning "old mountain".
Aarden DutchFrom Dutch
aarden meaning
"earthen, clay". It denoted a person who worked with clay.
Aarle DutchDenoted a person who hailed from a place of this name in the Netherlands, or from Arlon in Belgium (which is
Aarlen in Dutch).
Abspoel DutchFrom
Abtspoel, the name of an estate near Oegstgeest in South Holland, meaning
"abbot's pool".
Achterberg Dutch, GermanFrom the name of various places in the Netherlands and Germany, for example the village of
achterberg in Utrecht. The place names are derived from Low German
achter "behind" and
berg "mountain, hill".
Achterkamp DutchFrom the name of various places in the Netherlands, derived from Low German
achter "behind" and
kamp "field".
Achthoven DutchDenoted a person from various towns in the Netherlands called Achthoven, which is derived from Dutch
acht "eight" and
hoven "farmsteads".
Adrichem DutchFrom the name of an estate and castle (demolished in 1812) that was formerly in North Holland, the Netherlands. It means "Adrik's home".
Akkersdijk DutchOriginally denoted a person from the town of Akkersdijk, near Delft in the Netherlands. It means "field by the dyke" in Dutch.
Albronda DutchFrom the name of various streets in the Netherlands.
Aldenkamp DutchPossibly from an unknown place name meaning "old field" in Dutch.
Alderliesten DutchFrom Dutch
allerliefste meaning
"most dearest". This name could have referred to the nature of the person or perhaps a phrase the person commonly used.
Altena DutchFrom the name of a town in the Netherlands, possibly meaning "close, near" in Dutch.
Angenent DutchReferred to person who lived at the end of the road or the village, derived from Dutch
an gen ent meaning
"at the end".
Anholts DutchOriginally denoted a person from Anholt in the Netherlands, which means "hold, rest" in Dutch (a place where people could rest for the night).
Annevelink DutchFrom Dutch
aan 't veldink meaning
"next to the little field".
Apeldoorn DutchFrom the name of a city in the Netherlands, meaning "apple tree" in Dutch.
Appelhof DutchIndicated a person who lived by or at an apple garden, from Dutch
appel "apple" and
hof "yard, court".
Appelo DutchIndicated a person who was from a farm called Aperloo, probably a derivative of
appel meaning "apple".
Arendonk DutchDenoted a person from Arendonk, a town between in northern Belgium. It is derived from
arend "eagle" and
donk "hill".
Arzt DutchMeans
"doctor, physician" in German, ultimately from Latin
archiater.
Asselman DutchDenoted a person from Assel, Asselt or Hasselt, the name of communities in the Netherlands and Belgium. They derive from Old Dutch
ask "ash tree" and
loh "woods on sandy soil", or
hasal "hazel tree".
Assenberg DutchFrom Dutch
es meaning "ash tree" (plural
essen) and
berg meaning "mountain".
Assendorp DutchFrom the name of a place called Assendorp, composed of Dutch
essen and
dorp, meaning "ash tree village".
Averesch DutchFrom a place name, possibly from a dialectal variation of Dutch
over meaning "over" combined with
esch meaning "ash tree".
Baak DutchFrom a Frisian given name, a short form of Germanic names starting with the element
batu "fight, struggle".
Baardwijk DutchFrom the name of a town in the Netherlands, possibly from
Baard, a variant of
Bert, and
wijk meaning "neighbourhood, district".
Baars DutchIndicated a person coming from the town of Beers in the Netherlands.
Baart DutchMeans
"beard" in Dutch, originally describing a person who wore a beard.
Bakhuizen DutchMeans
"bakery" from Dutch
bak "bake" and
huis "house", an occupational name for a baker.
Baron English, FrenchFrom the title of nobility, derived from Latin
baro (genitive
baronis) meaning "man, freeman", possibly from Frankish
barō meaning "servant, man, warrior". It was used as a nickname for someone who worked for a baron or acted like a baron.
Beauchêne FrenchFrom French place names derived from
beau "beautiful" and
chêne "oak".
Beaufort FrenchFrom various French place names derived from
beau "beautiful" and
fort "strong place, fortress".
Beaulieu FrenchFrom various French place names derived from
beau "beautiful" and
lieu "place".
Beethoven Dutch (Archaic)From a place name derived from Dutch
beet "beet, beetroot" and
hoven "farms". This name was borne by the German composer Ludwig van Beethoven (1770-1827), whose family was of Flemish origin. The surname is now mostly extinct.
Berger 1 FrenchOccupational name meaning
"shepherd", from Old French
bergier.
Bezuidenhout DutchFrom Dutch
zuid "south" and
hout "forest". It refers to the south of the forest in The Hague.
Blanc FrenchMeans
"white" in French. The name referred to a person who was pale, or whose hair was blond.
Boerefijn DutchPossibly an adaptation of French
beurre fin meaning
"good butter".
Boivin FrenchNickname for a wine drinker, from Old French
boi "to drink" and
vin "wine".
Bonfils FrenchDerived from Old French
bon fils meaning
"good son".
Bonheur FrenchFrom Old French
bonne heure meaning
"good time" or
"lucky".
Borde FrenchFrom Old French
bord meaning
"board, plank", derived from Frankish *
bord. This name belonged to a person who lived in a house made of planks.
Borst DutchFrom a nickname derived from Dutch
borst "chest".
Bourreau 2 FrenchOccupational name for an executioner or torturer, derived from
bourrer "to hit, to stuff with cloth" (derived from French
boure "stuffing").
Bouvier FrenchMeans
"cowherd" in French, from Latin
boviarus, a derivative of
bos "cow".
Brand 2 German, DutchFrom Old High German
brant or Old Dutch
brand meaning
"fire", originally a name for a person who lived near an area that had been cleared by fire.
Brisbois FrenchReferred to a person who cleared land, from Old French
briser "to cut" and
bois "forest".
Brouwer DutchOccupational name for a brewer of beer or ale, Middle Dutch
brouwer.
Brun French, Danish, Norwegian, SwedishMeans
"brown" in French, Danish, Norwegian and Swedish. It was originally a nickname for a person who had brown hair or skin.
Brunet FrenchFrom a diminutive of French
brun meaning
"brown".
Bunschoten DutchOriginally indicated a person from the Dutch town of Bunschoten, which might mean "raised, enclosed land".
Bureau FrenchFrom Old French
burel, a diminutive of
bure, a type of woollen cloth. It may have originated as a nickname for a person who dressed in the material or as an occupational name for someone who worked with it.
Camus FrenchMeans
"flat-nosed" in French. A notable bearer was the French philosopher Albert Camus (1913-1960).
Carré FrenchMeans
"square" in French, derived from Latin
quadratus. It was used as a nickname for a squat person.
Chaplin English, FrenchOccupational name for a chaplain, or perhaps for the servant of one, from Middle English, Old French
chapelain. A famous bearer was the British comic actor Charlie Chaplin (1889-1977).
Chaput FrenchFrom a diminutive of the Old French word
chape meaning
"cloak, hood". The name referred to a person who made, sold or often wore cloaks.
Charbonneau FrenchDerived from a diminutive form of French
charbon "charcoal", a nickname for a person with black hair or a dark complexion.
Charron FrenchMeans
"cart" in Old French, used to denote a carter or a cartwright.
Chastain FrenchFrom Old French
castan "chestnut tree" (Latin
castanea), a name for someone who lived near a particular chestnut tree, or possibly a nickname for someone with chestnut-coloured hair.
Chevalier FrenchFrom a nickname derived from French
chevalier meaning
"knight", from Late Latin
caballarius "horseman", Latin
caballus "horse".
Chevrolet FrenchFrom a diminutive of
chèvre meaning
"goat", indicating a person who cultivated goats.
Cloutier FrenchDerived from French
clou meaning
"nail", referring to someone who made or sold nails.
Comtois FrenchIndicated a person from Franche-Comté, a province in eastern France, which translates to "free county".
Cruyssen DutchFrom the name of a place in the Netherlands, derived from
kruis "cross".
Curie FrenchOccupational name for a farm hand, from Old French
éscuerie "stable". Famous bearers were the married scientists Marie (1867-1934) and Pierre Curie (1859-1906), who studied radioactivity.
Daalmans DutchOriginally indicated a person who lived in a valley, from Dutch
dal meaning "dale, valley" and
man meaning "man".
Dam Dutch, DanishMeans
"dike, dam" in Dutch and Danish. In modern Danish it also means "pond".
D'Aramitz FrenchOriginally denoted one who came from Aramits, the name of a town in the French Pyrenees that is possibly derived from Basque
haran meaning "valley".
De Jong DutchMeans
"young" in Dutch, from Middle Dutch
jonc. This is the most common surname in the Netherlands.
Delacroix FrenchMeans
"of the cross" in French. It denoted one who lived near a cross symbol or near a crossroads. A notable bearer was the French painter Eugène Delacroix (1798-1863).
Desrosiers FrenchMeans
"from the rose bushes", from French
rosier "rose bush". It probably referred to a person who lived close to, or cared for a rose garden.