OudelandDutch Habitational name from places called Oudeland in the Netherlands, or perhaps the village of Oudelande in the Dutch province of Zeeland. Their names mean "old land" in Dutch.
OudenhovenDutch Derived from Dutch oude "old" and hoeve "farm, farmstead, manor". As a surname it is derived from one of the many places of this name.
OudshoornDutch From the name of a former village in South Holland, Netherlands, derived from Out, a Middle Dutch diminutive of the given name Otgar, and hoorn "horn; corner, protruding bend (of a river)"... [more]
OuwehandDutch Means "old hand" in Dutch, originally a nickname for a fisherman, associated with the phrase "old hands at sea". Another theory holds that it comes from a misdivision of the surname Oudeland... [more]
OverbeekeDutch Means "over the creek", from Dutch over "over, above" and beek "brook, creek".
OverduinDutch Means "over the dune" in Dutch, derived from any of several place names.
OvermarsDutch Means "over the marsh", derived from Middle Dutch over meaning "over, above" and marsch meaning "marsh". A famous bearer of this name is the former Dutch soccer player Marc Overmars (1973-).
OverpeltDutch From the name of a town in Limburg, Belgium, meaning "above the pelt" (see Van Pelt).
PannebakkerDutch From Middle Dutch panne "pan, roof tile" and backer "baker", an occupational name for someone who made roof tiles.
PannekoekDutch Means "pancake" in Dutch, possibly a nickname for someone who made or liked to eat pancake. Alternatively, it could derive from a place name, such as an inn or field named for pancakes.
PaterDutch, German, English, Polish From Latin pater "father", used as a religious title for a priest in Roman Catholicism. Possibly used semi-literally for a man who worked in the church, or figuratively for a solemn or pompous man.
PauwDutch, Flemish Means "peacock" in Dutch. Could be a habitational name from a sign depicting a peacock, or a nickname for a proud or flamboyant person. In some cases, it can be a shortened form of the patronymic Pauwels "son of Paul".
PechtoldGerman, Dutch, Jewish From the Old German given name Pechtholt, which is composed of the elements pecht "rotation" and holdt "hero". As a Dutch-language surname, it is derived from the Middle Dutch given name Pechte combined with Old High German walt "power, authority"... [more]
PeetDutch Means "godparent, godchild" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch pete meaning "godfather, godmother, godchild".
PenningEnglish, Dutch, Low German From early Middle English penning, Low German penning, and Middle Dutch penninc, all meaning "penny". It was used as a topographic surname from the name of a field, or a nickname referring to tax dues of one penny.
PijlDutch Means "arrow, projectile" in Dutch, an occupational name for an archer or fletcher.
PijnenburgDutch From the name of an estate or hamlet called Pijnenburg in the town of Soest in Utrecht, Holland, composed of Middle Dutch pijn meaning "pine tree" and burg meaning "fortress, manor, mansion".
PlumerGerman, English, Dutch North German (Plümer) and English: variant of Plum, the suffix -er denoting habitation or occupation. Altered form of South German Pflümer, an occupational name for a grower or seller of plums, from an agent derivative of Middle High German pflume ‘plum’... [more]
PoortmanDutch Occupational name for a gatekeeper or topographic name for someone who lived near the gates of a fortified town, from Dutch poort "gate" and man "man, person".
PoortvlietDutch From the name of the village and former municipality called Poortvliet in the province of Zeeland in the Netherlands, derived from Middle Dutch port meaning "port, harbour, storage yard, city" and vliet meaning "brook, stream, river, creek, inlet"... [more]
PosthumusDutch, Low German From a personal name which was given to a posthumous child, i.e., one born after the death of his father, derived from Latin postumus "last, last-born" (superlative of posterus "coming after, subsequent") via Late Latin posthumus, which was altered by association with Latin humare "to bury", suggesting death (i.e., thought to consist of post "after" and humus "grave", hence "after death"); the one born after the father's death obviously being the last.
PostmaWest Frisian, Dutch West Frisian variant of the Dutch and North German surname Posthumus, given to a child born after their father’s death. It could also be a variant of the habitational name Post or an occupational name for a mailman or guard, using the Frisian suffix -ma.
PrinsDutch, Jewish Means "prince" in Dutch, a doublet of Prince. Often a habitational name for someone who lived or worked near a location named Prins, such as an inn or windmill, or sign depicting the Prince of Orange... [more]
PyleDutch (Americanized) Americanized form of Dutch Pijl, a metonymic occupational name for a marksman or an arrowsmith, derived from pijl meaning "arrow".
QuackenboschDutch Topographic name meaning "night heron woodlands" in Dutch, from Dutch kwak "night heron" and bosch "woodland wilderness". This surname is now extinct in the Netherlands.
QuantDutch, German From Middle Dutch quant meaning "companion, comrade" or "trickster, prankster, rogue", ultimately from an older term meaning "journeyman, tradesman, small merchant". Compare Quandt.
RaadDutch Metonymic occupational name for an adviser, counselor, or member of a town council, from raad "advice, counsel", or derived from a given name containing the element (see rēdaz).
RaatDutch From Middle Dutch raet "advice, counsel". Could be an occupational name for a member of a council, or a short form of names containing rēdaz, such as Radulf... [more]
RapierDutch Dutch: perhaps from Middle Dutch rapiere ‘foil, sword’, for someone carrying such a weapon, or form a topographic name Raepier ‘land on which rapes are grown’.... [more]
RavenEnglish, Dutch From a variety of sources all ultimately derived from the name of the bird. Could be a patronymic form of a given name such as Raven, Hraban, or Walraven; from a nickname referring to dark hair or thieving tendencies; or from a toponym derived from a given name.
RavenswaaijDutch From the name of a village in Gelderland, Netherlands, meaning "Raven’s ford", derived from the personal name Raven combined with Old Dutch wade "ford, shallows", later reinterpreted as Middle Dutch way "pool, kolk lake".
ReeseLow German, Dutch, German Variant of Riese or Reus, from risi meaning "giant". Alternatively, could be a patronymic form of the Germanic given name Razo, derived from rēdaz "counsel, advise", or a habitational name from places called Rees or Reese in Rhineland and Lower Saxony.
ReizigerDutch, Dutch (Surinamese) Derived from Middle Dutch reisiger meaning "traveller, voyager", ultimately from Middle High German meaning "soldier on horseback". It is notably borne by the Dutch former soccer player Michael Reiziger (1973-).
RensDutch From the personal name Rens, a reduced form of Laurens. Could also derive from a given name containing the element regin "advice, counsel", such as Reinoud.
RijlaarsdamDutch Derived from Reguliersdam, a dam named for a nearby monastery from Old French reguler "ecclesiastical, subject to religious or monastic rule".
RochussenDutch Means "son of Rochus". Famous bearers of this name are the Dutch prime minister Jan Jacob Rochussen (1797-1871) and the 19th-century painter Charles Rochussen (1814-1894).
RoestDutch Habitational name derived from Old Dutch roest "reed bed, rush forest". Alternatively, from Dutch roest "rust", a nickname for a red-haired person.
RommelUpper German, Dutch Nickname for a noisy and disruptive person, from Middle Dutch rommel "noise, disorder, disturbance". Alternatively, a variant of Rummel.
RoosEstonian, Swedish, Danish, Dutch, German (Swiss), Low German Means "rose" in Estonian and Dutch. Swedish and Danish variant of Ros, also meaning "rose". This could be a locational name for someone living near roses, an occupational name for someone who grew roses, or a nickname for someone with reddish skin.
RootDutch From Dutch root, a derivative of roten "to ret", a topographic name for someone who lived by a retting place, a place where flax is soaked in tubs of water until the stems rot to release the linen fibers.
RosDutch Could be an occupational name for a horse breeder or trader derived from Middle Dutch ros "horse, steed" (see hros), or a nickname for someone with red hair or ruddy skin derived from Dutch ros "reddish; red-haired, ginger".
RosenboomDutch From Dutch rozeboom meaning "rose tree", a habitational name for someone who lived near such a tree or a sign depicting one, or who come from the neighbourhood Rozenboom.
RouvoetDutch From a nickname that meant "rough foot", derived from Middle Dutch ru meaning "rough, wild" and voet meaning "foot". This name is borne by the retired Dutch politician André Rouvoet (1962-).
RuiterDutch Derived from the Dutch noun ruiter meaning "rider, horseman, knight".
RumfeltGerman, Dutch Altered spelling of German Romfeld, derived from Middle Low German rüm- meaning "to clear (land)" and feld meaning "open country, field", hence a topographic name or possibly a metonymic occupational name for a person engaged in clearing woodland, or in some cases a habitational name for someone from Romfelt in the Ardennes... [more]
RutteDutch Derived from the given name Rutger. This surname is borne by the former Dutch prime minister Mark Rutte (1967-).
SalmDutch Denoted a person from any of various places called Salm. It could also derive from Dutch zalm meaning "salmon", referring to someone who lived near a sign depicting them, or to someone who fished for salmon.
SchaalGerman, Dutch, French, Jewish Either a nickname for a braggart or a market crier, (derived from Middle High German schal meaning "noise, bragging"), an occupational name for someone who made dishes for scales and vessels for drinking, (from Middle Low German and Dutch schale "dish"), a habitational name from Schaala in Thuringia or the Schaalsee lake near Schleswig-Holstein, Germany, or a topographic name for someone living on marshy land, (from Dutch schald "shallow")... [more]
SchaapDutch Means "sheep" in Dutch, an occupational name for a shepherd. Alternatively, it could be a nickname for someone who looked or behaved like a sheep in some way, or who lived by a sign depicting a sheep.
SchachtGerman, Flemish From Middle Low German and Middle Dutch schacht "shaft; pole, tunnel", a metonymic occupational name for someone who made shafts for tools or weapons, or who worked in a mineshaft.
SchadeGerman, Dutch From schade "damage, injury", a derivative of schaden "to do damage, harm, hurt", generally a nickname for a thug or clumsy person, or, more particularly, a robber knight, who raided others’ lands.
SchalkGerman, Dutch From Old High German scalc "servant, retainer, jester", which eventually evolved to mean "joker, rogue, knave". Could be an occupational name for an attendant or jester, a nickname for someone mischievous, or derived from a given name containing scalc as an element, such as Godschalk.
SchaulGerman, Dutch, Jewish Either from from Middle Low German schulle, Middle Dutch scholle, schulle, Middle High German schülle "plaice"; either a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman or seller of these fish or a nickname for someone thought to resemble a plaice... [more]
ScheeleGerman, Dutch, Swedish (Rare) From Middle Low German schele and Dutch scheel meaning "squinting, cross-eyed". A notable bearer was German-Swedish pharmaceutical chemist Carl Wilhelm Scheele (1742-1786) who discovered oxygen and identified several other elements.
ScheepensDutch From Middle Dutch schēpen "alderman", a member of a municipal council.
SchermerhornDutch From Schermerhorn, the name of a village in the province of North Holland in the Netherlands, derived from Dutch schermer meaning "fencer" and hoorn meaning "horn". It was borne by the Dutch politician Willem "Wim" Schermerhorn (1894-1977), a Prime Minister of the Netherlands.
SchildGerman, Dutch Occupational name for a maker or painter of shields, from Middle High German, Middle Dutch schilt "shield".
SchilderDutch Means "painter" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch schildere "shield painter" (from schilt "shield"), originally denoting someone who painted coats of arms on shields. An occupational name for someone who painted houses, shields, or anything else.
SchillingGerman, Dutch, Jewish Means "shilling (coin)", possibly a nickname for a serf who had paid his rent or fee to his lord for his freedom. It could also be a habitational name derived from Schillingen, a municipality in Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany... [more]
SchonewilleDutch Perhaps a nickname for an attractive person, derived from Middle Dutch schône meaning "beautiful, clean, pure" and wille meaning "to want, to desire".
SchrijversDutch Dutch cognate of Scriven. A famous bearer was the Dutch soccer goalkeeper Piet Schrijvers (1946-2022).
SchrootDutch Possibly an altered form of des Groot via Sgroot, meaning "son of the Groot", itself a byname meaning "great, large". Alternatively, it could be related to schroot "scrap (metal)" or the older scrode "to cut", an occupational name for someone who worked with metal, or perhaps a tailor.
SchruijerDutch Possibly a variant form of Schreier, from Dutch schreien or schreeuwen, meaning "to scream, shout, yell".
SchuurmanDutch Derived from Dutch schuur "barn, shed" and man "person, man".
SegerSwedish, English, Dutch Means "victory" in Swedish. It is also a variant of the English surname Seager or derived from the Germanic given name Sigiheri "victory army".
SiesGerman, Dutch From the ancient Germanic name Sigizo formed with the element sigi "victory" (from proto Germanic segiz).
SievertLow German, Dutch, Swedish Derived from the given name Sievert. A Sievert (Sv) is a unit measuring the effect of ionizing radiation on the human body (called equivalent absorbed radiation dose)... [more]
SikkemaWest Frisian, Dutch Patronymic form of Sikke, a short form of names containing the element sigu "victory", using the Frisian suffix -ma "man of".
SjoerdsmaFrisian, Dutch Derived from the Frisian given name Sjoerd combined with the Frisian surname suffix -(s)ma, which is most likely derived from Old Frisian monna meaning "men".
SlaatsDutch Possibly a contracted form of Dutch des laats meaning "the serf", from Middle Dutch laets "serf, bondsman, freedman".
SlackEnglish, Dutch Nickname for an idle person, from Middle Dutch slac "slow, loose", Middle English slak "lazy, careless". Alternatively, the Dutch form could derive from Middle Dutch slecke "snail, slug", with a similar implication of idleness.
SlatsDutch Possibly derived from a toponym related to Old Germanic slaut meaning "puddle, pool" or "ditch, channel".
SleegersDutch Older form of modern Dutch slager "butcher" and slachter "slaughterer", derived from Old Germanic *slahaną "to hit, to strike; to kill".
SlotDutch Means "lock, clasp" in Dutch, an occupational name for a locksmith.
SlotboomDutch From a place name meaning "lock beam", a piece of wood used to close an opening.
SluiterDutch Means "gatekeeper, porter, prison guard, cellar master" in Dutch, literally "one who closes".
SmoutDutch, Flemish Means "oil, lard, melted animal fat" in Dutch, an occupational name for someone who sold fat or lard, or a nickname for someone who ate – or who could afford to eat – large amounts of food containing it.
SmuldersDutch Occupational name derived from Dutch des mulders meaning "son of the miller". A famous bearer is Canadian-American actress Cobie Smulders (1982-).
SnapperDutch From Middle Dutch snappen meaning "to chatter, babble, snap" or "to snatch, grab, seize", a nickname for a talkative person, or perhaps a thief. Compare Schnapp.
SnelliusDutch (Latinized) Latinized form of Snel. A notable bearer was the Dutch astronomer and mathematician Willebrord Snellius (1580-1626; real name Willebrord Snel van Royen), commonly called Snell, for whom the formula Snell's law is named.
SpaansDutch Either a patronymic from the archaic given name Spaan, of uncertain etymology, or an occupational name derived from Middle Dutch spaen "wood chip, piece of wood; spoon, spatula".
SpoorEnglish, Dutch From Middle Dutch and Middle English spoor "spur", an occupational name for a maker or seller of spurs.
SpringerGerman, English, Dutch, Jewish Nickname for a lively person or for a traveling entertainer, from springen "to jump, to leap". A famous bearer was Ludwig der Springer (AKA Louis the Springer), a medieval Franconian count who, according to legend, escaped from a second or third-story prison cell by jumping into a river after being arrested for trying to seize County Saxony in Germany.
SpruijtDutch Means "sprout" in Dutch, originally a nickname for a young person or a descendant of a wealthy, powerful or important family.
SpruytDutch Variant of Spruijt. This surname is especially common in Belgium.
StaalDutch From Old Dutch stal meaning "steel", a metonymic occupational name for a steelworker or blacksmith.
StamDutch Means "trunk (of a tree), stem" in Dutch, a nickname for a blocky or heavily built man.
StarDutch Means "stiff, frozen, rigid" in Dutch, from Middle Dutch staer "having a troubled or gloomy expression; tight, stiff", a nickname either for a gloomy person or for someone who was rigid and inflexible.
SteffesDutch, German A patronymic from a shortened form of the personal name Steffen.
StegemanDutch Derived from Middle Dutch stēge "lane, alleyway; steep path, slope" and man "person, man".
StegerhoekDutch Derived from Old Dutch stega "lane, alleyway; steep path, slope" and huok "corner, angle, hook".
StekelenburgDutch Derived from Middle Dutch stekel meaning "prickle, stickle, spine, spike" and burg meaning "fortress". A famous bearer is the retired Dutch soccer goalkeeper Maarten Stekelenburg (1982-).
SteketeeDutch Derived from the biblical Greek word στήκετε (stekete) meaning "I stand (firm)", probably of Protestant or Huguenot origin.
StikvoortDutch Derived from Middle Dutch voort "ford" and an uncertain first element; perhaps from a relation of Middle High German stickel "hill, slope".
StokerDutch Means "stoker, one who stokes a fire" or "firestarter, agitator" in Dutch, an occupational name or a nickname for a troublemaker.
StolkDutch Contracted form of Stolwijk, a town in South Holland, Netherlands, probably derived from Middle Dutch stolle "lump, chunk" and wijc "farmstead, village".
StoopDutch From Middle Dutch stoop "pitcher, stone bottle, wine jug", an occupational name for an innkeeper or a nickname for a heavy drinker.
StrickerGerman, Low German, Dutch Occupational name for a rope maker or knitter (of hose, for example), from an agent derivative of Middle High German, Middle Low German stricken ‘to tie’.
StrijbisDutch Etymology uncertain. Possibly derived from strijd meaning "conflict, strife" or "disputed, contested", an element in some place names.
StruijkDutch Topographic name derived from Middle Dutch struuc meaning "bush, shrub".
StryckerDutch From Dutch de Strycker, an occupational name for someone responsible for measuring out cloth or grain. See also Stryker.
StrykerDutch From Dutch Strijker, an occupational name for someone whose job was to fill level measures of grain by passing a flat stick over the brim of the measure, thus removing any heaped excess... [more]
StrynckxFlemish Variant form of Dutch Streng "strong, rope, cord", a metonymic occupational name for a rope maker. Alternatively, it could be a nickname derived from streng "strict, severe, cruel".
StuifzandDutch Means "drift-sand, quicksand" in Dutch, from the name of a town in the Netherlands.
SusanEnglish, Dutch, Jewish (Sephardic) As an English (London) and Dutch surname, it comes from the feminine personal name Susanna, from Hebrew שושן (shushan) meaning "lily, lily of the valley".... [more]
SuurbierDutch Dutch cognate of Sauerbier. A famous bearer was the Dutch soccer player Wim Suurbier (1945-2020).
TabakDutch Occupational name for a butcher or hog breeder, from Middle Dutch tucbake composed of tucken "to pull, push, strike" and bake "hog, pig; meat from the back of a pig".
TasmanDutch Derived from Dutch tas "bag" and man "person, man". Usually a metonymic name for someone who made bags, though in at least one case it was taken from the name of a ship, De Tas.
TazelaarDutch Dutch (Zeeland) variant of ’t Hazelaar "the hazel bush", a topographic name for someone living by hazel bushes.
Ten BoomDutch Means "at the tree" in Dutch. A notable bearer of this surname was Corrie ten Boom (1892-1983), a German woman who helped Jewish people take refuge into her home during the Second World War.
TeneyckDutch (Americanized) From Dutch ten eik meaning "at the oak tree", a topographic name for someone who lived by a prominent oak tree. This has been a prominent family name in Albany, NY, area since the 1630s.
TerpstraWest Frisian, Dutch Derived from terp, a kind of artificial hill used as shelter during floods or high tide, and the Frisian habitational suffix -stra.
TimmGerman, Dutch, English English: probably from an otherwise unrecorded Old English personal name, cognate with the attested Continental Germanic form Timmo. This is of uncertain origin, perhaps a short form of Dietmar... [more]
TimmerDutch, Low German Means "timber" in Dutch and Low German, an occupational name for a carpenter.