List of Dutch family names

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Dutch family names were not required until 1811 when emperor Napoleon annexed the Netherlands; [1] prior to 1811, the use of patronymics was much more common.

In Dutch linguistics, many names use certain qualifying words (prepositions) which are positioned between a person's given name and their surname. Although these words, tussenvoegsels , are not strictly essential to state the person's surname, they are nevertheless a part of the surname and are almost always included for clarity. For example, someone whose family name is "De Vries" is not found at the letter "D" in the telephone directory but at "V"; the "de" is a tussenvoegsel and is not a part of the indexing process but rather is more of a stylistic qualifier. Another reason for this methodology is that it makes finding someone's name in a database relatively easy, since most Dutch prepositions start with the same letter (and thus if the prepositions led, there would be constant superfluous data entry to arrive at the desired name). In the Netherlands, the tussenvoegsel is written with a capital letter if no name precedes it. For example:

See also the main Dutch surnames section.

List of Dutch surnames

This random sampling of Dutch family names is sorted by family name, with the tussenvoegsel following the name after a comma. Meanings are provided where known. See Category:Dutch-language surnames and Category:Surnames of Frisian origin for surnames with their own pages.

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Van Eyck or Van Eijk is a Dutch toponymic surname. Eijck, Eyck, Eyk and Eijk are all archaic spellings of modern Dutch eik ("oak") and the surname literally translates as "from/of oak". However, in most cases, the family name refers to an origin in Maaseik. This city on the Meuse, now in Belgium on the border with the Netherlands, was originally simply known as Eike and from the 13th century as Old Eyck and New Eyck. Names with an affix (tussenvoegsel), like Van der Eijk, are more likely to refer directly to the tree. This article lists people with this surname.

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<span class="mw-page-title-main">Westkapelle, Netherlands</span> City in Zeeland, Netherlands

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<i>van </i>(Dutch) Preposition used in Dutch surnames

van is a very common prefix in Dutch language surnames, where it is known as a tussenvoegsel. In those cases it nearly always refers to a certain, often quite distant, ancestor's place of origin or residence; for example, Ludwig van Beethoven "from Beethoven" and Rembrandt van Rijn "from the Rhine". Van is also a preposition in the Dutch and Afrikaans languages, meaning "of" or "from" depending on the context.

De Vries is one of the most common Dutch surnames. It indicates a geographical origin: "Vriesland" is an old spelling of the Dutch province of Friesland (Frisia). Hence, "de Vries" means "the Frisian". The name has been modified to "DeVries", "deVries", or "Devries" in other countries.

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Aartswoud is a village in the Dutch province of North Holland, part of the municipality of Opmeer. It lies about twelve kilometres (7.5 mi) northeast of Heerhugowaard.

Dutch names consist of one or more given names and a surname. The given name is usually gender-specific.

The Dutch have a code of etiquette which governs social behaviour and is considered important. Because of the international position of the Netherlands, many books have been written on the subject. Some customs may not be true in all regions and they are never absolute. In addition to those specific to the Dutch, many general points of European etiquette apply to the Dutch as well, as the Dutch generally view themselves as "taking the lead" in Europe but also part of it and the wider world as a whole.

Leeuw is Dutch for lion. It occurs as a surname, most commonly in the form of De Leeuw. "De Leeuw", “Leeuw” and Van der Leeuw are thought to mostly be toponymic surnames, with the first bearers named "(from) the Lion" after a house, windmill or farm with that name. The more common surname Van Leeuwen has a distinct origin in the small town of Leeuwen and perhaps in the city of Leuven.

Van Dyk or Vandyk is an Afrikaans toponymic meaning "from (the) dike". It can also be directly derived from the Dutch form Van Dijk.

Wiersma is a surname of West Frisian origin. It originated as a patronymic surname, "son of Wier", an old Frisian name that was a contraction of German -wig- ("battle") and -her- ("lord"). Notable people with the surname include:

A nobiliary particle is a type of onomastic particle used in a surname or family name in many Western cultures to signal the nobility of a family. The particle used varies depending on the country, language and period of time. In some languages, it is the same as a regular prepositional particle that was used in the creation of many surnames. In some countries, it became customary to distinguish the nobiliary particle from the regular one by a different spelling, although in other countries these conventions did not arise, occasionally resulting in ambiguity. The nobiliary particle can often be omitted in everyday speech or certain contexts.

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Bijl or Byl is a Dutch surname. "Bijl" means "axe" in Dutch, and the name may be a metonymic occupational surname referring to a butcher or lumberjack. It can also be of Matronymic origin, referring to a short form of Sibylla. People with this surname include:

Van den Hoek is a Dutch toponymic surname meaning "from the corner". Variations on the name include Van Hoek, Van der Hoek, Van den Hoeck, Van den Hoecke, and concatenated forms of these. The surname Verhoek is a contraction of "Van der Hoek". People with these surnames include:

A toponymic surname or topographic surname is a surname derived from a place name, which included names of specific locations, such as the individual's place of origin, residence, or lands that they held, or, more generically, names that were derived from regional topographic features. Some toponymic surnames originated as personal by-names that later were used as hereditary family names.

Hoek is a Dutch surname. It may have a patronymic origin, as Hoek was a West Frisian form of the name Hugo. It can also be a shortened form of names like Van den Hoek. People with the surname include:

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References

  1. Schulze, Lorine McGinnis (2008-03-04). "Dutch Patronymics of the 1600s". New Netherland, Old York Genealogy. Olive Tree Genealogy. Retrieved 2008-03-05.
  2. etymonline.com