Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
ALNEMY FlemishOnly know relation claims birth in East Flanders. Arabic speakers believe it may be of Syrian or Saudi Arabian origin.
ALPERT English, Jewish, German, DutchA variant of the Jewish surname Heilprin or
Halpern. In German and Dutch usage, it is derived from the given name
Albert. One famous bearer is Richard Alpert from the ABC TV show LOST.
APPELMAN DutchOccupational name from Middle Dutch
apelmanger "apple seller".
ATEN Frisian, DutchThe Frisian name Aten means "Noble Wolf". The name was probably given to lesser lords. As noble would mean nobility. As wolf was always a symbol of a warrior, or hunter. Usually Nobles who were also warriors, were lesser lords...
[more] AUKERMAN DutchAmericanized form of Dutch
Ackerman. This was a frequent name in New Netherland in the 17th century.
AX Dutchoriginally French, used to be
de Ax, meaning "from Ax", several possible places called Ax or Aix or variants.
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.
BARZELAIJ Dutch, JewishDutch form (or "dutchization", if you will) of
Barzilai via
Barzelay. Also compare
Barzilaij. This name is found exclusively in the Dutch-Jewish community, and is considered quite rare: there were only 6 bearers in 1947 and less than 5 bearers in 2007.
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.
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] BEETHOVEN Dutch, FlemishCombination of
beeth 'beetroot' and
hoven, the plural of
Hof, meaning 'farm'. Beethoven is therefore 'beetroot farms'. There is a village named Betthoven in the province of Liège.
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] BERGSMA DutchThe surname Bergsma had orinally been German. It was then taken over to Holland possibly in the sixteenth century....
[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.
BOEN DutchOccupational name for a bean grower, from Middle Dutch
bone,
boene "bean".
BONUS French, German, DutchHumanistic Latinization of vernacular names meaning ‘good’, for example French Lebon or Dutch de Goede
BOOMHOUWER German, DutchBoomhouwer, means "Cutter of Trees", or "The one who hews trees", having Boom translating into "tree", houw meaning to "hew" or to "cut", and er meaning "the one who"....
[more] 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 BOWDLER Flemish, EnglishOriginally de Boelare it evolved to Bowdler or Bowdle after Baldwin de Boelare came to England in 1105 & was given a lordship over Montgomery, Wales.
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
BRIGGS English, FlemishThis surname is a variant of the more common name
Bridges, which, contrary to appearances, has two possible origins, one the perhaps obvious English topographical or occupational one, and the other locational, from Belgium...
[more] BROOK German, DutchTopographic name for someone who lived by a water meadow or marsh, from Low German
brook, Dutch
broek (cf.
BRUCH)....
[more] BROUWER DutchDutch occupational name for a brewer of beer or ale, Middle Dutch
brouwer.
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] BRUIN DutchFrom a medieval Dutch nickname meaning "brown", from Middle Dutch
bruun "brown", making this a cognate of German
Braun, English
Brown and Italian
Bruno. In some cases this may be a patronymic of the given name
Bruin, a Dutch form of
Bruno....
[more] 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.
CHOATE English, DutchThe names of Choate and Chute are believed to have been of common origin and derived from the residence of their first bearers at a place called Chute in Wiltshire, England. Certain historians, however, state that the name of Choate was of Dutch origin and was taken by its first bearers from their residence at a place of that name in the Netherlands.
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.
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.
DE BONTE DutchBont is a word to describe something with many colours, originally used for spotted cows. So the name means: The one with many colours. Figuratively speaking this would mean: The one who acts crazy.
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.
DELEEUW DutchFound in the North Brabant region of the Netherlands
DEREMER DutchFrom an old personal name
Terrimar, which is probably from Old High German dart ‘spear’ + mari ‘famous’
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
DISTEL German, North 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".
DUCK DutchDutch variant of Duyck. In a German-speaking environment, this is also a variant of van Dyck and Dyck.
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. Compare also
Duck 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.
FENDRICH DutchThe surname Fendrich has its origin in Austria, and mean "flag-bearer".
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] GEERS DutchPatronymic from a short form of any of various personal names formed with the Germanic element
gar,
ger.
GELEYNSE DutchThe name Geleynse originated in the Netherlands in the 1400s from a carpenter who went by the name of Jakob Geleijnsen
GIESBRECHT DutchA variant of the given name
GISELBERT, which in turn is related to
GILBERT. Possibly used in reference to Gjisbrecht IV van Amstel, a 13th century Dutch noble. It means "bright heir", derived from the Germanic elements
gisil "heir, hostage" and
beraht "bright".
GROOT DutchGroot means "big" in Dutch and the surname was originally a nickname for a tall person.
HAGEMAN Dutch, SwedishDutch: topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosure, from Middle Dutch haghe ‘hedge’, ‘enclosure’ + man ‘man’. Respelling of German
Hagemann. ...
[more] HALLÉN Swedish, DutchSwedish variant of
Hall, with the addition of the adjectival suffix
-én. Possibly a shortened form of Dutch
van der Hallen, a topographic or habitational name from Middle Dutch
halle ‘hall.’
HARMSE Dutch, Low GermanThe surname Harmse is derived from Harms or Harm, a Low-German / Niederdeutsch surname or name. In Plattdeutsch/Low Saxon the word sine is used as a possessive construction, hence Harmse indicates that it is the child of Harms, Harm, or Harmensze...
[more] HARTMAN DutchFrom a Germanic personal name composed of the elements
hard "hardy, strong" and
man "man".
HAVERBUS Yiddish, DutchFrom Yiddish/Hebrew Haver (חבר) and Baruch (ברוך), thus literally "blessed friend".
HAY English, Scottish, Irish, Welsh, French, Spanish, German, Dutch, FrisianScottish and English: topographic name for someone who lived by an enclosure, Middle English
hay(e),
heye(Old English
(ge)hæg, which after the Norman Conquest became confused with the related Old French term
haye ‘hedge’, of Germanic origin)...
[more] HAZARD English, French, DutchNickname for an inveterate gambler or a brave or foolhardy man prepared to run risks, from Middle English, Old French
hasard, Middle Dutch
hasaert (derived from Old French) "game of chance", later used metaphorically of other uncertain enterprises...
[more] HECHT German, DutchFrom Middle High German
hech(e)t, Middle Dutch
heect,
hecht "pike", generally a nickname for a rapacious and greedy person. In some instances it may have been a metonymic occupational name for a fisher and in others it may be a habitational name from a house distinguished by a sign depicting this fish.
HEE Danish, Norwegian, DutchA Danish habitational name from any of several places named from a word meaning ‘shining’ or ‘clear’, referencing a river....
[more] HEGEMAN DutchHabitational name for someone from a place called Hegge(n) or ter Hegge(n), derived from a word meaning ‘hedge’.
HELLWIG German, DutchCuriously it started out life in ancient history as the baptismal name, Hell-wig. "luck" & "war;" this name literally translates to, "battle-battle."
HELMEYER German, Dutch, DanishFrom Hel in Norse mythology and Meyer meaning "higher, superior". It means ´blessed´ or ´holy´. The name is mostly found in Germany, but also in the Netherlands and some parts of Denmark.
HERD DutchComes from Middle Dutch hert, herte ‘hart’, ‘stag’; probably a nickname for someone who was fleet of foot, or a habitational name for someone who lived at a house distinguished by the sign of a deer; variant of
Heard.
HEROLD English, Dutch, GermanFrom the given name
Herold. This was the surname of David Herold, one of the conspirators in the Abraham Lincoln assassination plot.
HERRICK DutchFrom a Germanic personal name composed of the elements heri, hari 'army' + ric 'power', or from an assimilated form of Henrick, a Dutch form of Henry.
HICK DutchFrom a pet form of a Germanic personal name, such as Icco or Hikke (a Frisian derivative of a compound name with the first element
hild "strife", "battle").
HILBERT English, French, Dutch, GermanEnglish, French, Dutch, and German: from a Germanic personal name composed of the elements hild ‘strife’, ‘battle’ + berht ‘bright’, ‘famous’.
HINKEBEIN Dutch, GermanNickname for someone with a limp, from Middle Low German hinken meaning "to limp" + bein meaning "leg".
HOOGENBOOM DutchTopographic name for someone living by a tall tree, "tall tree", or a habitational name from places called Hoogboom and Hogenboom in the Belgian province of Antwerp, meaning "tall tree".
HOOT Dutch, GermanThe Dutch form is a habitation name for someone who lived in the
hout or "woods" while the German form
hoth is from an occupational name for a maker of hats.
HOSEKIN DutchOccupational name for a maker or seller of hose (garments for the legs), from Middle Low German hose "hose".
HUCK English, DutchFrom the medieval male personal name
Hucke, which was probably descended from the Old English personal name
Ucca or
Hucca, perhaps a shortened form of
Ūhtrǣd, literally "dawn-power".
HUITEMA DutchThe name is believed to come from the Dutch word 'hout', meaning wood. Thus, this was a name often given to woodcutters.
HUMBERT German, Dutch, FrenchFrom a Germanic personal name composed of the elements
hun "Hun, giant" or
hun "bear cub" and
berht "bright, famous". This was particularly popular in the Netherlands and North Germany during the Middle Ages as a result of the fame of a 7th-century St...
[more] JACOBI Jewish, English, Dutch, GermanFrom the Latin genitive Jacobi ‘(son) of Jacob’, Latinized form of English Jacobs and Jacobson or North German Jakobs(en) and Jacobs(en).
JANMAAT DutchFamous bearer of this surname is Dutch footballer Daryl Janmaat.
JAPENGA DutchMeans son of Jap " Yap" related to Jacobson in the Netherlands
JOST Dutch, GermanDutch and German: from a personal name, a derivative of the Breton personal name
Iodoc (see
Joyce), or from the personal name
Just.
KEMPER German, DutchGerman: status name denoting a peasant farmer or serf, an agent noun derivative of
Kamp ...
[more] KENTIE Scottish, English, DutchOrigin and meaning unknown. The name Kentie was spread in the Netherlands when a Scottish soldier, Alexander Kenti, settled at Woudrichem, the Netherlands around 1650. Alexander Kenti was born and raised in the Scottish highlands...
[more] KESLER German, Dutch, JewishIt is an occupational name that means coppersmith. In alpine countries the name derived from the definition: the one living in the basin of a valley.
KESSEL Dutch, BelgianHabitational name for someone from any of several places named "Kessel" in the Belgian provinces of Antwerp and Limburg or North Brabant in The Netherlands.
KEURIG DutchKeurig is "derived from" a Dutch word meaning "excellence." A more accurate translation from the Dutch is "neat" or "tidy."
KIEL DutchDutch from Middle Dutch
kidel,
kedel ‘smock’, hence a metonymic occupational name for someone who make such garments or perhaps a nickname for someone who habitually wore one. Also a dutch habitational name from a place so named in Antwerp or from the German city Kiel in Schleswig-Holstein.
KIN DutchNickname for someone with a pointed or jutting chin.
KIND English, German, Jewish, DutchGerman and Jewish (Ashkenazic) from Middle High German
kint, German
Kind ‘child’, hence a nickname for someone with a childish or naive disposition, or an epithet used to distinguish between a father and his son...
[more] KNICKERBOCKER Dutch (Anglicized)Americanized spelling of the Dutch occupational name
Knickerbacker "marble baker", i.e., a baker of children's clay marbles. This lowly occupation became synonymous with the patrician class in NYC through Washington Irving's attribution of his History of New York (1809) to a fictitious author named Diedrich Knickerbocker...
[more] KOK DutchIt is a Dutch occupational surname, meaning cook.
KOLK Dutch"Kolk is Dutch for either whirlpool or canyon. Probably the name refers to wild water."
KOONINGS DutchFrom the Dutch word "koning" meaning "king", thus meaning "of the king".
KROLL German, Dutch, PolishNickname for someone with curly hair, from Middle High German
krol 'curly', Middle Low German
krulle 'ringlet', 'curl', Middle Dutch
croel, crul (apparently a loanword from German)...
[more] KUES German, DutchHabitational name from Cues, now part of Bernkastel-Kues in the Rhineland Palatinate.
LACHTRUP DutchMeans 'laughing group' in Dutch. Also occurs in Germany, but mostly in the Netherlands.
LANGHORN English, Danish, DutchNorthern English: probably a habitational name from a minor place in Soulby, Cumbria, called Longthorn, from Old English
lang ‘long’ +
horn ‘projecting headland’, or a topographic name with the same meaning....
[more] LEDGER English, Norman, French, DutchEnglish: from a Norman personal name,
Leodegar, Old French
Legier, of Germanic origin, composed of the elements
liut ‘people’, ‘tribe’ +
gar,
ger ‘spear’. The name was borne by a 7th-century bishop of Autun, whose fame contributed to the popularity of the name in France...
[more] LEMS Dutch"It is said that long ago there was a river in Holland named 'Lems'. Since then the river has dried up, but those who lived around the river were given the surname of 'Lems'.
LIEM DutchHabitual surname for Lieme in Eastphalia, which is from
lim meaning "mire".
LINDE German, Dutch, Jewish, Spanish, Swedish, Norwegian, DanishTopographic name for someone who lived by a conspicuous lime tree, from Middle High German, Dutch
linde, Scandinavian
lind. There are several places, especially in North Germany, named with this word...
[more] LINDT German, DutchThe Lindt surname comes from an Upper German word "lind," which meant "tender" or "gentle hearted." In some instances, especially in Saxony, the surname evolved from the personal name Lindemuth. In general, the similar phonetic name Linde comes from "Linden," which was a type of tree....
[more] LOOP DutchHabitational name from de Loop (meaning "the watercourse"), in the province of Antwerp.
LOSEE Dutch (Anglicized)Perhaps an Americanized spelling of
Lossie, a vernacular derivative of the female personal name
Lucia. Compare English
Luce. This name was well established in the Hudson valley in the 18th century, which strengthens the likelihood that it is of Dutch origin.