Submitted names are contributed by users of this website. The accuracy of these name definitions cannot be guaranteed.
Van Der Loop DutchFrom Dutch
loop "course, duration; river course", a topographical name for someone who lived by a waterway, in particular a waterway called
De Loop in North Brabant.
Vandermast DutchTopographic name for someone from a place rich in animal fodder, for example acorns.
Vanderpan DutchFrom Dutch
van der Pan meaning "from the pan", possibly referring to a location that resembled the shape of a pan.
Vanderplaats DutchA surname given to someone living near a plaats (open space), or someone from De Plaats in North Brabant.
Van der Plas DutchMeans "from the pool" in Dutch, derived from
plas "pool, puddle, pond; body of stagnant water".
Van der Ploeg DutchMeans "of the plough" in Dutch, an occupational name for a farmer or a bookbinder (a
ploeg also being a tool used in binding books), or a habitational name for someone who lived by a sign depicting a plough.
Van Der Pol DutchHabitational name probably derived from Dutch
pol "tussock, grassy hill" (see
Pol).
Van Der Sluijs DutchMeans "from the sluice", from Dutch
sluis "sluice, lock", a habitational name for someone who lived by a sluice gate.
Van Der Spek DutchHabitational name derived from Middle Dutch
specke "log dam, bridge of tree trunks, road through a marshy area".
Van Der Steen Dutch, FlemishMeans "from the stone", a habitational name for someone from any of various minor places called Steen or Ten Stene, for example in the Belgian provinces of East Flanders and Brabant.
Van Der Vest Dutch (Archaic)Means "from the city wall, of the fort", derived from Middle Dutch
veste "fortification, stronghold, castle; reliability".
Van Der Waal DutchToponymic or habitational name derived from Middle Dutch
wael "dike breach pool, eddy, vortex, mud flat" or "reservoir, well".
Van der Weide DutchMeans "from the pasture" in Dutch, either a topographic name for someone who lived by a meadow, or a metonymic occupational name for a butcher.
Van der Werf DutchMeans "from the wharf" or "from the shipyard" in Dutch, derived from
werf meaning "quay, wharf, shipyard", or from the older form
werve "dyke, quay, bank". Can be a topographic name for someone who lived near such a place, or an occupational name for someone who worked at a shipyard, such as a carpenter.
Van Der Zanden DutchMeans "from the sand", most likely given to someone who lived near sandy grounds. It originated in the southeastern part of the Netherlands.
Van Deusen Dutch (Americanized)Most likely an altered form of
Van Deursen. Alternatively, could be a habitational name for someone from the German town of Deusen, north of Dortmund, in North Rhine-Westphalia near the Dutch border... [
more]
Van De Wetering DutchMeans "from the drainage channel", from Dutch
wetering "canal, waterway, drainage channel" or the name of a town using it as an element.
Van De Zandschulp DutchMeans "from the sandy seashell" in Dutch. A famous bearer is the Dutch tennis player Botic van de Zandschulp (1995-).
Van Dongen DutchMeans "from
Dongen", a village in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from
donk "sandy hill (in marshy area)".
Van Doorn DutchMeans "of the thorns", a topographic name for someone who lived near thorn bushes, or in a settlement named after them.
Van Driel DutchMeans "from Driel" in Dutch, referring to either the village
Driel or any of several other settlements containing
driel as an element... [
more]
Van Eck DutchMeans "from Eck", a town in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands. Derived from
hek "fence".
Van Eden DutchRefers to someone from the town Ede in Gelderland province.
Van Egmond DutchMeans "from
Egmond" in Dutch, the name of a town and former municipality in North Holland. The toponym is possibly derived from
heeg-munde (or
hecmunda) meaning "enclosed fortress".
Van Erp DutchMeans "from
Erp" in Dutch, a town in North Brabant, Netherlands, possibly derived from Old Dutch
*apa "watercourse" and an unclear first element.
Van Es DutchMeans "from the ash tree", denoting someone who lived by an ash tree or who came from a place named for them, such as
Esch.
van Essen DutchMeans "from
Essen" in Dutch, the name of a German city possibly derived from Old High German
asc "ash tree".
Van Etter DutchA habitational name for someone from Etten in North Brabant
Van Eyck DutchIt means "of the oak", Eyck is a different, more archaic spelling of the word "eik" which means oak.
Van Geelkerken Dutch, FlemishMeans "from the yellow churches", derived from Dutch
geel meaning "yellow" and
kerken, the plural of
kerk meaning "church". A notable bearer was the infamous fascist political leader Cornelis van Geelkerken (1901-1976), who founded the National Socialist Movement in the Netherlands (NSB) during World War II, alongside Anton Mussert.
Van Gelder DutchDutch toponymic surname meaning "from/of Guelders", a county and later duchy in the Low Countries.
Van Gemert DutchMeans "from
Gemert" in Dutch, the name of a village in North Brabant, Netherlands, possibly derived from Old Germanic
mari "lake" (compare Old Dutch
meri) combined with the collectivising prefix
ga-.
Van Gent DutchMeans "from
Ghent" in Dutch, the name of a city in Belgium possibly derived from Celtic
ganda "confluence; place where two rivers meet", or from the name of the Celtic goddess
Gontia, tutelary deity of the river
Günz#.
Van Gestel DutchMeans "from
Gestel" in Dutch, a settlement in North Brabant, Netherlands derived from either
gestel "height between two river valleys" or
gestel "guest house, inn" (compare
Gastel).
Van Gils DutchMeans "from
Gilze" in Dutch, a village in North Brabant, Netherlands. Possibly derived from a cognate of Old Norse
gil "gap, ravine, gully".
Van Ginkel DutchMeans "from
Ginkel" in Dutch, the name of a settlement in Gelderland, Netherlands, possibly derived from Old Dutch
gengi "accessible, passable" and
lo "light forest, forest clearing".
Van Gool DutchMeans "from
Goirle" in Dutch, the name of a town in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from Middle Dutch
goor "filth, dirty; swampy forest floor" and
lo "forest clearing, light forest".
Van Haitsma DutchHabitational name for someone from Haitsma, a place in Friesland.
Van Halen DutchHabitational name for a person from the villages
Hoog en Laaghalen in the Dutch province of Drenthe or
Halen near Hasselt in Belgian Limburg. Famous bearers include Dutch-born American musicians Eddie Van Halen (1955-2020) and his brother Alex Van Halen (1953-) of the rock band Van Halen... [
more]
Van Hanegem Dutch, FlemishMeans "from Hanegem", possibly from a place name in Flanders, Belgium; one theory suggests that it may be associated with
Danegem, a town near Beernem, West Flanders. Other theories connect it to
Hunnegem, the name of an old settlement in Geraardsbergen, East Flanders, or a place called
Huinegem in Asse, Flemish Brabant... [
more]
Van Haren DutchMeans "from
Haren" in Dutch, the name of several settlements derived from
haar "sandy ridge".
Van Helden DutchMeans "from
Helden" in Dutch, the name of a village in Limburg, Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch
helde "slope, incline".
Van Helmond DutchMeans "from Helmond" in Dutch, a municipality in Southern Netherlands, of unknown etymology. It could derived from the Dutch dialectal
hel "low-lying" and Old Dutch
munte "hill, place of refuge during flooding".
Van Helmont Belgian, DutchPossibly a variant of
Van Helmond. Jan Baptist van Helmont (1580-1644) was a Belgian chemist, physiologist, and physician, considered as the founder of pneumatic chemistry.
Van Helsing Dutch (Rare)Habitational name that can derive from any of several locations. It is most famously used by the fictional character Abraham Van Helsing in Bram Stoker’s novel
Dracula, in which case it may be invented.
Van Hertrooij DutchMeans "from Hertrooij", most likely a place name in the Netherlands. It could possibly derive from Middle Dutch
hert meaning "deer" and
rood meaning "red".
Van Heusen DutchHeusen is derived from the town Husum in Holland. The town was on the Zuyder Zee, Holstein, Holland.
Van Heutsz Dutch (Archaic)A bearer of this name is J.B. van Heutsz, also known as the Pacificator of Aceh, former governor general of the Dutch East Indies.
Van Iersel DutchHabitational name from the town of
Eersel in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from the Old Dutch personal name
*Ari combined with
lo "forest clearing, light forest".
Van Ingen DutchMeans "from
Ingen" in Dutch, the name of a village in Gelderland, Netherlands, of uncertain etymology.
Van Kleef DutchMeans "from Kleef", a toponym derived from Middle Dutch
cleve "cliff".
Van Kooten DutchHabitational name from any of several places called
Koten or
Kooten, derived from Middle Dutch
cote "cottage, hut, barn".
van Lieren DutchMeans "from Lier", the name of the Dutch village De Lier or Belgian province Lier.
Van Look DutchTopographic name from
look "enclosure, fence", or habitational name from a place named with this word.
Van Loon DutchMeans "from
Loon", the name of several locations, derived from Middle Dutch
lo "forest clearing, light forest".
van Maarschalkerweerd DutchHabitational name denoting someone from Maarschalkerweerd, a place near Utrecht in the Netherlands. Derived from Dutch
maarschalk "marshal" and
weerd "land next to water, riverine island".
Van Maurik DutchMeans "from Maurik" in Dutch, which is a town in the east of the Netherlands.
Van Merrienboer DutchOccupational name for a mare farmer, derived from Middle Dutch
merrie meaning "mare (female horse)" and
boer meaning "peasant, farmer".
Van Mierlo DutchMeans "from Mierlo", a village in the Netherlands. Likely derived from a compound of Old Dutch
*mier "swamp" and
lo "light forest".
Van Mol Dutch, FlemishDerived from Middle Dutch
mol, meaning "mole." This surname can either derive from the nickname
mol, meaning "mole", perhaps given to someone with dark hair or blindness, or from a house with the sign of a mole.
Van Musschenbroek DutchMeans "from Musschenbroek", a hamlet in Limburg, derived from plural form of Dutch
mus "sparrow" and
broek "marsh, wetland". Pieter van Musschenbroek (1692–1761) was a Dutch scientist credited with the invention of the first capacitor.
Van Nistelrooij DutchMeans "from Nistelrode", a small village in the province of Noord-Brabant in the Netherlands. It is derived from Middle Dutch
nest meaning "nest, burrow, resting place" and
lo meaning "light forest", combined with
rode meaning "land cleared of trees"... [
more]
Van Noort DutchMeans "from the north", derived from Middle Dutch
nort "north, northwards". Alternatively, can be an altered form of
Van Oort.
Van Ommen DutchMeans "from Ommen" in Dutch, a city and municipality in northeastern Netherland, historically attested as
de Vmme or
Ummen, of unknown etymology. It could derived from a prehistoric hydronym.
Van Ommeren DutchMeans "from Ommeren", a small village in the province of Gelderland in the Netherlands.
Van Ooijen DutchMeans "from
Ooijen" in Dutch, the name of a hamlet in Limburg, Netherlands, as well as several other settlements derived from Middle Dutch
ooy "floodplain, wetland, meadow in the bend of a river".
Van Oort DutchMeans "from the edge (of town)", derived from Middle Dutch
ort "edge, corner, outermost point of a region". Sometimes altered to or from the surname
Van Noort.
Van Otterloo DutchMeans "from Otterlo", a village and former municipality in Gelderland, possibly derived from Dutch
otter "otter" and
lo "pool".
Van Pelt Dutch, FlemishHabitational name for someone from Pelt (formerly Pedele), Overpelt, or Neerpelt, possibly derived from a word meaning "marshy place".
Van Persie DutchMeans "from
Persia", most likely derived from the name of a house that traded in Persian goods. Alternatively, it might derive from
Perche, a former province in France.
Van Reenen Dutch, South AfricanMeans "from
Rhenen", the name of a city in Utrecht, Netherlands. Possibly derived from Proto-Germanic
*hraini "clean, pure", or from
Rijn "the Rhine (river)" combined with Old Dutch
hem "home, settlement".
Van Rees DutchMeans "from Rees", a German town on the bank of the Rhine that probably derives its name from Kleverlandish
rys "willow grove".
Van Rooijen DutchDerived from any of several places named using the suffix
rooien, denoting an area cleared of trees.
Van Schaik DutchDerived from any of several places called
Schaik,
Schaijk, or
Schadijk, derived from the original form
Schadewijk possibly meaning "shaded place" or "inhospitable place" from Middle Dutch
scade meaning either "shadow, shade" or "damage" combined with
wijk "village, settlement".
Van Schie DutchMeans "from
Schie" in Dutch, the name of a canalised river that lends its name to several nearby toponyms. Possibly related to Middle Dutch
scheiden "to separate, to part".
Van Schijndel DutchMeans "from
Schijndel" in Dutch, the name of a village in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from
lo "forest clearing, light forest" and an uncertain first element.
van Son DutchMeans "from Son", a town in the Netherlands, possibly derived from an older term meaning "creek".
Van 't Boveneind DutchMeans "from Boveneind", the name of various places in the Netherlands, itself meaning "from the top end" in Dutch. It is derived from
boven meaning "upper, upstream" and
eind meaning "edge, end".
Van Tienhoven DutchMeans "from Tienhoven", the name of several villages in the Netherlands. Their names are derived from Middle Dutch
tien meaning "ten" and a plural form of
huue meaning "piece of land of a certain size"... [
more]
Van Tilburg DutchMeans "from
Tilburg" in Dutch, the name of a city in North Brabant, Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch
tilli "newly cultivated land" and
burg "fortress, fortified settlement, citadel".
Van Tol DutchMeans "of (the) toll" or "from
Tol" in Dutch, derived from
tol "toll (fee); toll booth, toll house", a habitational name for someone who lived near or in a toll house or a place named for one, or a metonymic occupational name for a toll collector... [
more]
Van 't Schip DutchMeans "from the ship", derived from Middle Dutch
schip literally meaning "ship". It is borne by the Dutch-Canadian former soccer player John van 't Schip (1963-).
Van Tuijl DutchMeans "from
Tuil", the name of two different settlements, both derived from Old Dutch
tiole or
tiuli "agricultural land, pasture".
Van Velsen DutchMeans "from Velsen" in Dutch, a municipality in North Holland, possibly from Proto-Indo-European
*pel "swamp, marsh" combined with the hydronymic suffix
*isa.
Van Vucht DutchMeans "from
Vucht", a place name probably derived from Middle Dutch
vucht "humid area, wetland".
Van Wageningen DutchMeans "from Wandeningen" in Dutch, denoting a person from the municipality of Gelderland, Netherlands, from Dutch
Wagano with collective suffix
-ung- Van Wanrooij DutchMeans "from
Wanroij" in Dutch, the name of a town in North Brabant, Netherlands, probably derived from Middle Dutch
wan "bad, insufficient, lacking; un-" and
rode "land cleared of trees".
Van Wert Dutch (Americanized, Archaic), FlemishHabitational name for someone from places in Belgium and the Netherlands called Weert, (De) Weerd, Weerde, or Waarde, all derived from Middle Dutch
wert "holm, area surrounded by rivers".
Van Wezel DutchMeans "from Wezel", the name of several locations in the Netherlands.
Van Wijngaarden DutchMeans "from
Wijngaarden", a village in South Holland, Netherlands, meaning "vineyards" in Dutch. It’s uncertain if there was ever actually a vineyard in or near the village.
Van Wormer Dutch (Rare)Means "from Wormer", a town in North Holland. Derived from Old Dutch
wer "fishing weir" and
mere "lake", or possibly from Proto-Germanic
*werm "water".
Van Zon DutchVariant of
van Son. In some cases, it could denote someone who lived or worked in a building named
De Zon "the sun", probably named for a sign depicting the sun.
Van Zweden DutchMeans "from Sweden" in Dutch. Jaap van Zweden (1960-) is a Dutch conductor and violinist.
Veen DutchMeans "peat bog, fen, swamp" in Dutch.
Veerman DutchMeans "ferryman, skipper" in Dutch, from
veer "ferry". Alternatively, it could be an occupational name for a feather merchant or fletcher, derived from
veer "feather, plume", a contracted form of the archaic
veder.
Veldman DutchMeans "field man" in Dutch, a name for a farmer, or someone who lived by a field.
Verdonk DutchContraction of
van der Donk meaning "from the donk", a
donk being a kind of sandy hill found in a swamp.
Verhagen DutchContracted form of
van der Hagen, derived from
haag "hedge, undergrowth".
Verhofstadt Dutch, FlemishMeans "from the farmstead" or "from the homestead" in Dutch. A notable bearer is the Flemish politician Guy Verhofstadt (1953-), a Prime Minister of Belgium.
Verkuilen Dutch, FlemishReduced form of
van der Kuylen, a topographic name derived from
kuil "pit, quarry, hole in the ground", or a habitational name for someone from Kuil in East Flanders or Kuilen in Limburg.
Villerius DutchVillerius is a name of Dutch origin similar to the French DeVilliers
Vink DutchMeans "finch, chaffinch" in Dutch, a metonymic occupational name for someone who caught finches and other small birds. It could also be a nickname for someone cheerful, or who was known for whistling.
Vis DutchMeans "fish" in Dutch, a metonymic occupational name for a fisherman or fishmonger.
Vonk DutchMeans "spark" in Dutch, a metonymic occupational name for a smith, or possibly a nickname for a lively or fiery person.
Voogd DutchMeans "guardian" in Dutch, an occupational name for a bailiff, farm manager, or someone appointed to look after the interests of other people. Ultimately from Latin
advocatus "witness, advocate; one called upon to help"... [
more]
Voorhees DutchHabitational name from a place in Drenthe called Voorhees.
Vreeland DutchHabitational name for a person from a place bearing the same name in the province of Utrecht, which is itself derived from the Middle Dutch word
vrede, meaning "peace; legal protection against armed violence".
Vreeswijk DutchHabitational name from a former village and municipality in the province Utrecht, Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch
Frieso "Frisian" and
wic "village, town"... [
more]
Vrielink DutchEtymology uncertain. Possibly from the name of a farmstead, itself perhaps derived from a given name such as
Frigilo or
Friedel... [
more]
Vrieze DutchFrom Middle Dutch
Vrieze "Frisian", an ethnic name for a someone from Friesland.
Vuurman DutchMeans "fire man" in Dutch, an occupational name for someone who burned patches of forest land, or who worked in a fire brigade.
Wannemacher German, DutchOccupational name for a maker or seller of baskets, particularly winnowing baskets or fans, derived from Middle High German
wanne literally meaning "winnowing basket" and
macher meaning "maker"... [
more]
Warns German, DutchPatronymic form of the Germanic given name
Warn (see
Warin). Alternatively, a habitational name from various Frisian places likely named using the same or similar elements.
Wassink DutchDerived from the personal name
Wazo and the suffix
-ink denoting origin from a family or place.
Weghorst Dutch, GermanHabitational name from a location near Hanover, possibly derived from
weg "way, road" and
horst "thicket, grove, heap, elevated land" or "nest of a bird of prey, eyrie".
Wehlburg German (Rare), Dutch (Rare)Possibly derived from German
Wehl "pool of water (esp. behind a dyke)" (cognate to Dutch
weil "vortex, maelstrom; dyke breach pool") and
burg "fortress, citadel".
Westbroek DutchFrom the name of several towns in the Netherlands, derived from Old Dutch
west "west, western" and
bruoc "marsh, wetland"... [
more]
Westra Dutch, West FrisianMeans "from the west", derived from Dutch
west "west, western, westwards" combined with the Frisian habitational suffix
-stra.
Wijnaldum Frisian, Dutch, Dutch (Surinamese)From
Wijnaldum, the name of a village within the city of Harlingen in northwest Friesland in the Netherlands, derived from the given name
Winald combined with Old Frisian
hēm meaning "home, settlement"... [
more]
Wijs DutchMeans "wise, learned, clever" in Dutch.
Wildschut DutchOccupational name meaning "gamekeeper, game warden" in Dutch. A famous bearer is the Dutch former soccer player Piet Wildschut (1957-).
Winkel Dutch, BelgianHabitational name from any of numerous minor places named using the element
winkel "corner".
Winne FlemishOccupational name for an agricultural worker, from Middle Dutch
winne "farmer, peasant, tenant".
Witschge DutchDutch cognate of
Witzke. Famous bearers of this surname include brothers Rob (1966-) and Richard Witschge (1969-), both of whom are former Dutch soccer players.
Witte German, Dutch, EnglishCognate to and variant of
White, a nickname for someone with white or blonde hair or an unusually pale complexion
Witteveen DutchFrom Dutch
witte "white" and
veen "peat bog, marsh", derived from any of several place names.
Wondergem DutchHabitational name from Wondelgem or Wontergem in East Flanders, Belgium, using the suffix
-gem which is related to Old Germanic
haimaz meaning "home".
Zandvoort DutchBuilt on ancient words that mean "Sand-Ford, -Crossing" (also the name of a Village, Municipality and Beach Resort in North Holland (Netherlands), a Hamlet in Lingewaard, Gelderland (Netherlands), and a Neighborhood of Baarn, Utrect (Netherlands)).... [
more]
Zeilstra Dutch, West FrisianDerived from
zijl "sluice" and the suffix
-stra denoting an inhabitant of a place. The name has also been connected to
zeil "sail; to sail", possibly a nickname for someone who made sails or spent a lot of time on a ship.
Zelle German, DutchTopographic name from Middle High German
zelle "(hermit's) cell", or a habitational name from various places called
Zelle or
Celle.
Zeller German, Dutch, JewishOriginally denoted someone from Celle, Germany or someone living near a hermit's cell from German
zelle "cell". It is also occupational for someone employed at a
zelle, for example a small workshop.
Zijlstra DutchHabitational surname derived from Dutch
zijl "sluice, pump" and the West Frisian suffix
-stra.
Zuidema Dutch, West FrisianEither derived from a toponym containing the element
zuid "south, southern" (from Middle Dutch
suid), or a patronymic form of a name beginning with the element
swith "strong".
Zwaan DutchMeans "swan" in Dutch. Could be a nickname for a person who resembled a swan in some way, an occupational name for a swan keeper, or a patronymic derived from a given name containing the element
swan... [
more]
Zwagerman DutchPossibly a compound of Dutch
zwager "brother-in-law" and
man "man, person".
Zwart DutchMeans "black, dark, swarthy" in Dutch, a nickname for someone with dark hair or skin.