Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Alderink DutchA personal name from an ancient Germanic personal name
Aldheri.
Alnemy FlemishOnly know relation claims birth in East Flanders. Arabic speakers believe it may be of Syrian or Saudi Arabian origin.
Appelman DutchOccupational name from Middle Dutch
apelmanger "apple seller".
Aukerman DutchAmericanized form of Dutch
Ackerman. This was a frequent name in New Netherland in the 17th century.
Axel Dutch, FlemishHabitational name for someone from either of two places, Aksel in East Flanders or Axel in Zeeland.
Baack North Frisian, DutchEither from a reduced form of the Germanic personal name
Baldeke (a short form of any of the compound names with the first element bald ‘bold’, for example Baldewin) or from Middle Low German baec, bake ‘pork’, ‘bacon’, hence a metonymic occupational name for a butcher or pig farmer.
Bakkum DutchBakkum is a habitational name from the village so named near Castricum in North Holland province. Its meaning may be 'the homestead of someone with the personal name Bak', or refer to the location on a back of a hillside.
Balkenende DutchPossibly from a place name derived from Middle Dutch
balke meaning "timber, beam" and
einde meaning "end". A famous bearer is the former Dutch prime minister Jan Peter Balkenende (1956-).
Barzilaij Dutch, JewishDutch form (or "dutchization", if you will) of
Barzilai via
Barzilay. This name is found exclusively in the Dutch-Jewish community, and is considered quite rare: there were only 112 bearers in 1947 and only 51 bearers in 2007.
Baumfree Dutch, American, African AmericanThis name is clearly derived from Sojourner Truth, a former African-American slave who was born as Isabella Bomefree (but at some point the surname was changed to the more German-looking Baumfree). Although Sojourner's original owners - James and Elizabeth Bomefree/Baumfree - were apparently of Dutch descent, it is questionable whether the surname is really of Dutch origin... [
more]
Bay English, French, DutchDerived from Middle English and Old French
bay,
bai and Middle Dutch
bay, all meaning "reddish brown". It was originally a nickname for someone with a hair color similar to that.
Beeks DutchFrom Dutch
beek meaning "brook, stream".
Beer English, German, Dutch, German (Swiss)Habitational name from any of the forty or so places in southwestern England called Beer(e) or Bear(e). Most of these derive their names from the West Saxon dative case, beara, of Old English bearu ‘grove’, ‘wood’ (the standard Old English dative bearwe being preserved in Barrow)... [
more]
Beers DutchName for someone from the village named "Beers".
Beijering DutchThe name Beijering Probably comes from the other but wider spread Dutch surname, Meijering. There is'nt much info I was able to find about both surnames except that there are many diferent forms of the surname like: Beije, Beijerink, Beijeringh, Beijer, Meijer, Meijerink, Meijeringh, etc... [
more]
Bergen German, Dutch, Flemish, JewishOriginally denoted a person from any of the various places named
Bergen in Germany and the Netherlands. It is also a variant of
Berg. Famous bearers include the Americans Candice Bergen (1946-), an actress, and Polly Bergen (1930-2014), an actress, singer and television host.
Bergkamp Dutch, GermanFrom the name of various places in the Netherlands and Germany, derived from Old Dutch and Old High German
berg meaning "mountain" and
kamp meaning "field". This name is borne by Dutch former soccer player Dennis Bergkamp (1969-).
Bergsma DutchThe surname Bergsma had orinally been German. It was then taken over to Holland possibly in the sixteenth century.... [
more]
Betjeman DutchOne of the earliest surnames, it derives from the Roman personal name "Benedictus", meaning blessed.
Biesheuvel DutchFrom
Biesheuvel, the name of a small village in the north of the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It is derived from Dutch
bies meaning "bulrush, club rush" (a grasslike plant that grows in wetlands and damp locations) and
heuvel meaning "hill"... [
more]
Blank DutchDutch and German nickname for a man with white or fair hair or a pale complexion, from Middle Low, Middle High German blanc "bright", "shining", "white", "beautiful", Middle Dutch blank "fair", "white".... [
more]
Blasius German, Dutch, ScandinavianFrom the Latin personal name
Blasius. This was a Roman family name, originating as a byname for someone with some defect, either of speech or gait, from Latin
blaesus "stammering" (compare Greek
blaisos "bow-legged")... [
more]
Blazer Dutchfrom Middle Dutch blaser ‘blower’, hence an occupational name for a player of the trumpet or other wind instrument, or a nickname for a braggart or boaster
Bleecker DutchOccupational name for a bleacher of textiles, a launderer, or the owner of a public bleaching ground.
Bleeker DutchOccupational name for a bleacher of textiles, from Middle Dutch
ble(e)kere.
Bleiberg DutchHabitational name from a place so named in Luxembourg province, Belgium.
Blemker DutchDutch: occupational name for a bleacher of textiles, Middle Dutch ble(e)kere.
Boen DutchOccupational name for a bean grower, from Middle Dutch
bone,
boene "bean".
Bol DutchProbably from Dutch
bol "a round piece of bread or pastry", possibly denoting someone who is a baker. Femke Bol is a Dutch track and field athlete who competes in hurdling and sprinting.
Bonus French, German, DutchHumanistic Latinization of vernacular names meaning ‘good’, for example French Lebon or Dutch de Goede
Boomgarden German, Dutch (?)Either an occupational name for an orchard worker or a topographic name for someone who lives in or by an orchard.
Boomhouwer DutchOccupational name meaning "woodcutter", from
boom "tree" and
houwen "to hew, chop". Compare German
Baumhauer.
Boon DutchFrom
boon "bean". Refers to a person who grows beans, or a nickname for someone tall and thin (i.e. stringbean).
Boot English, Dutch, GermanEnglish: metonymic occupational name for a maker or seller of boots, from Middle English, Old French bote (of unknown origin).... [
more]
Bootz DutchA Dutch surname meaning a "nickname for a ridiculous person" or a variant of
Boot Braafheid Dutch, Dutch (Surinamese)Means "braveness" in Dutch, derived from
braaf meaning "brave, well-behaved, obedient" and the suffix -
heid denoting a condition or state of being. This was originally a nickname for a strong or brave person... [
more]
Bras Dutch, Low GermanDutch and North German: from Old French and Middle Dutch bras ‘arm’. This was probably a descriptive nickname for someone with some peculiarity of the arm, but the word was also used as a measure of length, and may also have denoted a surveyor.
Braunershrither German, Dutch, EnglishThis name mean Leather (Tanned) Knight, or a fighter of leather armor, or in Dutch, Leather writer, one who branded print on leather
Brink Low German, Dutch, Swedish, DanishThe Dutch and Low German meaning is "village green". In Danish and Swedish, the name is thought to be a borrowing of Middle Dutch brinc / brink, meaning "grassy edge" or perhaps "slope",, and the Danish word now means "where the water runs deep".
Brinker German, DutchFrom the word
brink "edge, slope". This indicated that the bearer of the surname lived near a prominent slope of land
Brook German, DutchTopographic name for someone who lived by a water meadow or marsh, from Low German
brook, Dutch
broek (cf.
Bruch).... [
more]
Brouwers DutchPossibly means "brewer; brewers" relating to one who brews beer.
Brugman Dutch, SwissDutch: topographic name for someone who lived near a bridge or a metonymic occupational name for a bridge keeper, from Dutch brugge ‘bridge’ (see
Bridge); in some cases, it is a habitational name for someone from the Flemish city of
Bruges (or
Brugge), meaning ‘bridges’... [
more]
Buitenhuis DutchMeans "outside the house", derived from Dutch
buiten meaning "outside, out of, in the country" and
huis meaning "house".
Burger English, German, DutchStatus name for a freeman of a borough. From Middle English
burg, Middle High German
burc and Middle Dutch
burch "fortified town". Also a German habitational name for someone from a place called Burg.
Carmiggelt DutchDutch cognate of
Carmichael. This was the surname of the Dutch writer, journalist and poet Simon Carmiggelt (1913-1987).
Cats Dutch, JewishHabitational name for a person from the village of
Kats in Zeeland, Holland, or a nickname for someone who in some way resembled a cat, derived from Middle Dutch
catte literally meaning "cat"... [
more]
Clutterbuck English, Dutch (Anglicized, ?)English surname of unknown origin, possibly a corrupted form of a Dutch surname derived from Dutch
klateren "to clatter" and
beek "brook". The original surname may have been brought to England by Flemish weavers whom Edward III brought to England in the 14th century to teach their techniques to the English, or by Huguenots who fled the Netherlands in the 16th century to escape religious persecution... [
more]
Conklin Irish, DutchOrigin unidentified. Most likely of Dutch origin (the name is found in the 18th century in the Hudson Valley), or possibly a variant of Irish
Coughlin.
Corson Dutch (Americanized, ?)From the given name of
Cors Pieters, a sailor with the Dutch West Indies Company, who arrived in the Dutch Colony, New Amsterdam (present day New York), on or before 1638... [
more]
Crabb English, Scottish, German, Dutch, DanishEnglish and Scottish, from Middle English crabbe, Old English
crabba ‘crab’ (the crustacean), a nickname for someone with a peculiar gait. English and Scottish from Middle English
crabbe ‘crabapple (tree)’ (probably of Old Norse origin), hence a topographic name for someone who lived by a crabapple tree... [
more]
Crane English, Dutch1. English: nickname, most likely for a tall, thin man with long legs, from Middle English cran ‘crane’ (the bird), Old English cran, cron. The term included the heron until the introduction of a separate word for the latter in the 14th century... [
more]
Crauwels Flemish, Dutch, GermanDerrives from the Middle Dutch (medieval Dutch) word "crauwel" and Middle High German word "kröuwel" which means "flesh hook", "curved fork" or "trident". The word is no longer used. The first person with this name was most likely a farmer, butcher or a person that runned an inn or a hostel that was named after this tool.
Cronkhite Dutch (Anglicized)Americanized form of Dutch
Krankheid, derived from an abstract noun meaning "weakness", most likely a nickname for a sickly individual.
Cruijff DutchReferred to a person with curly locks of hair, derived from Middle Dutch
cruuf,
cruve literally meaning "curl, lock", ultimately from Latin
curvus. A famous bearer was the Dutch soccer player Johan Cruijff (1947-2016), as well as his son Jordi Cruijff (1974-), also a noted soccer player; both are better known as Johan Cruyff and Jordi Cruyff respectively.
Cruyff DutchVariant of
Cruijff. This name was borne by Johan Cruyff (1947-2016) and his son Jordi Cruyff (1974-), both Dutch soccer players.
Cuvelier French, Walloon, FlemishOccupational name for a Cooper derived from an agent in Old French
cuve "vat tun". Also found in the Netherlands.
Daimes DutchOf Dutch origin, related to surnames
Dames and
Daïmes. Arrived in the United States in the 17th century, where it is most common.
Dapper DutchNickname from
dapper meaning ‘brave, gallant’ in Dutch. Famous bearers of this surname include the American actor and model Marco Dapper (1983-), and Dutch physician and writer Olfert Dapper (1636-1689).
De Bonte DutchMeans "the colourful", from Dutch
bont meaning "motley, multi-coloured; varied, mixed". Probably a nickname for someone known for wearing bright clothing, or perhaps figuratively referring to someone who behaves oddly or unpredictably.
De Boon DutchVariant of
Boon with the etymological element
De, literally 'of (a family called) Boon'.
De Bruyne Dutch, French, FlemishDerived from Middle Dutch
bruun meaning "brown", referring to hair colour or complexion. A famous bearer is Belgian soccer player Kevin De Bruyne (1991-).
De Caters DutchNickname for someone thought to resemble a tom cat, derived from Middle Dutch
cater,
kater literally meaning "tom cat".
Decatur DutchVariant spelling of
De Caters. A notable bearer was Stephen Decatur (1779-1820), an American naval officer and commodore during the War of 1812, the Barbary Wars and the Quasi-War.
Defoor DutchGiven to someone who lived near a castle or citadel
De Geer Dutch, SwedishThe name is possibly derived from the town of Geer near Liège, Belgium. The town lies along the course of the river Jeker, which is called Geer in French.
De Goeij DutchFrom Dutch
goei meaning "good", making this a cognate of
Good. A famous bearer is the retired Dutch soccer goalkeeper Eduard de Goeij (1966-), better known as Ed de Goey.
De Goey DutchVariant of
De Goeij. Famous bearers of this name include former Dutch soccer goalkeeper Ed de Goey (1966-) and Australian rules footballer Jordan De Goey (1996-).
Deleeuw DutchFound in the North Brabant region of the Netherlands
de Maagd DutchDerived from Middle Dutch
maech, mage "a member of one's kin, a blood relative".
Den Uijl DutchMeans "the owl" in Dutch, from Middle Dutch
ule. A notable bearer was the Dutch prime minister Johannes den Uijl (1919-1987), also known as Joop den Uyl.
Den Uyl DutchVariant of
Den Uijl, notably borne by the Dutch prime minister Joop den Uyl (1919-1987).
De Praetere FlemishMeans "The Prattler", from or related to Middle Dutch praten "to chatter" (c. 1400), from a Proto-Germanic imitative root.
Deremer DutchFrom an old personal name
Terrimar, which is probably from Old High German dart ‘spear’ + mari ‘famous’
De Waal Dutch, WalloonMeans "the Walloon" in Dutch, derived from Middle Dutch
wale, originally indicating a person who came from Wallonia, a French-speaking region of southern Belgium. It could also possibly be a variant spelling of
Van Der Walle and
De Walle meaning "the wall"', though evidence for this is lacking... [
more]
De Winter DutchNickname for a cold or gloomy man, from Middle Dutch winter 'winter' + the definite article de.
Dewolf DutchA nickname for one identified with the animal or from a place noted for a sign showing a picture of a wolf. Signs with easily understood pictographs communicated the names of locations in preliterate Europe.
De Zeeuw DutchNickname for someone from the Dutch provence Zeeland
Dijkhuizen DutchMeans "houses in the dike" in Dutch, derived from
dijk meaning "dike, ditch, levee" and
huizen meaning "houses, settlement", and so indicated a person who lived in a house close to a dyke or embankment.
Distel German, Low German, DutchTopographic name for someone who lived by a patch of ground overgrown with thistles, or perhaps a nickname for a "prickly" person, from Middle High German, Middle Low German, Middle Dutch
distel "thistle".
Doornbos DutchDenoted a person who lived near thorn bushes, derived from Dutch
doornbos literally meaning "thorn bush".
Douwes Dutch, FrisianFrom the given name
Douwe, itself derived from Frisian
dou meaning "dove, pigeon". A notable bearer was the Dutch writer Eduard Douwes Dekker (1820-1887), better known by his pen name Multatuli.
Drielsma Dutch, JewishDerived from the Frisian town IJlst. IJlst in Frisian is Drylts > Dryls > Driels combined with the Frisian surname suffix -(s)ma, which is most likely derived from Old Frisian monna meaning "men". Drielsma has Frisian Jewish origins.... [
more]
Duck DutchDutch variant of Duyck. In a German-speaking environment, this is also a variant of van Dyck and Dyck.
Dumfries Scottish, Dutch, Dutch (Surinamese)From the name of a market town in Dumfries and Galloway, Scotland, derived from Gaelic
dùn meaning "fort" and
preas meaning "thicket". This surname is found predominantly in Aruba, the Netherlands and Suriname... [
more]
Duyck DutchDutch nickname from Middle Dutch
duuc ‘duck’; in some cases the name may be a derivative of Middle Dutch
duken ‘to dive’ and cognate with
Ducker... [
more]
Dyck DutchTopographic name for someone who lived by a dike, Dutch
dijk. Compare
Dyke.
Elenbaas DutchReinterpretation of Elenbos or Elebaers, from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements alja ‘other’ or agil ‘point or edge (of a sword)’ + berht ‘bright’.
Escher Dutch, GermanGerman habitational name for someone from any of the various places called Esch, Esche, or Eschen.
Freeling English, DutchThis is the surname of Christian Freeling (born February 1, 1947 in Enschede, Netherlands)a Dutch game designer and inventor. This surname was also used for the main character "Carol Anne Freeling" in the Poltergeist film of 1982 as well.... [
more]
Gans German, DutchMeaning "goose", perhaps referring to someone who worked with geese, related to
Ganser.