How the Dutch Got Their Amazing Surnames

Dutch surnames (last names) can be pretty awesome. They might not sound like anything special unless you know the language and the literal English translation of some of the names.

You probably know a Dutch surname when you hear one. Many of them begin with “van”, which means “from” or “of” in Dutch. If you’re an American, you probably know or know of someone with a “van” last name. Or you’ve at least heard of the Dick van Dyke show or Van Halen.

But not all Dutch surnames have “van” in them. There are plenty of others that are even more amazing. In this post you’ll learn all about how the Dutch got their surnames.

THE DUTCH SURNAMES

Here are some examples of Dutch surnames of friends and colleagues that I knew throughout my time living in the Netherlands and their literal English translations:

• Van Wijk: “from the neighborhood”
• Van de Buurt: also means “from the neighborhood”
• Van de Straat: “from the street”
• Van Wijnbergen: “from the vineyards” (there are very few vineyards in the Netherlands so this is kind of a unique one)
• Van de Bergen: “from the mountains” (there are literally no mountains in the Netherlands so maybe this origins of this name traces back to people who came up from the Alps further south, but that’s pure speculation)
• De Bakker: “the baker”
• De Boer: “the farmer” (fun titbit, my manager at work, Mr. de Boer, absolutely loved working in his garden)
• Onderwater: “under water” (a lot of the Netherlands is below sea level, so flooding was pretty common)
• Van de Hoorn: “from the cape” (a cape like Cape Cod, not like Superman wears)
• Van de Heuvel: “from the hill” or “From the hills” (no mountains in the Netherlands, but there are a few hills in Linburg in the south of the country)
• De Groot: “the great” or “the tall one” (tall one is very Dutch as the Dutch are in fact the tallest people in the world)
• Noteboom: sounds harmless but it means “nut tree”

So by now you get the hang of Dutch surnames. Not all Dutch men and women have descriptive names like this, however, I must point out. Some have just regular old names that don’t have a direct meaning. But it’s very common for a Dutch surname to be descriptive.

What do these names all have in common, though? They all describe something about the person, usually where they are from or what they do for a living. Though obviously people with these names are not necessarily from the street or employed as bakers these days. So what gives?

HOW THE DUTCH GOT THEIR SURNAMES

For generations the Dutch had no surnames. Life was much simpler back then. No IDs, no passports, no real documentation of any kind. They lived with just one given name and everything was fine. No one thought twice about it. 

The story goes that the Dutch were forced to invent surnames for themselves during the Napoleonic Era, where the French leader mandated paper records of births, deaths, and marriages. For this, surnames were needed. How can you keep track of 900 people named Jan? 

Some historians believe that the Dutch already had surnames before the Napoleonic Era, but just never formally recorded them. Naturally, there is no evidence of this, but the theory is gaining traction in the Netherlands.

Many people simply chose their last name based on where their family was from or what they did for a living. Others chose based on physical appearance (see “de Groot” from earlier).

Many didn’t think that it would be a permanent thing and chose surnames that they knew were just ridiculous because they thought it was funny. So that’s how they ended up with surnames that are so hilarious these days. 

I imagine the conversation with Napoleon and his army going something like this:

Napoleon: What is your name?

Dutch guy: Jan

Napoleon: Jan what?

Dutch guy: Jan is my name

Napoleon: What’s your surname?

Dutch guy: What’s a surname

Napoleon: Your second name, your family name

Dutch guy: I don’t have one

Napoleon: OK then make one up, you need a surname

Dutch guy: Ummm… I don’t know!

Napoleon: Well, where are you from? What do you do for a living? 

Dutch guy: I’m from that little neighborhood over there

Napoleon: Great, your name is now Jan van de Buurt

Dutch guy: No, I don’t like that

Napoleon: Argh, OK, then what do you do for a living? 

Dutch guy: I make bread for the neighborhood

Napoleon: Perfect! Jan de Bakker you are!

Jan de Bakker: lekker!

In 1811, surnames became mandatory in the Netherlands and the rest is history!

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Interested in exploring the Netherlands? Then be sure to check out my guides to the Netherlands below:

• 7-Day Netherlands Itinerary
• Amsterdam like a Local
• Top 10 Breweries in Amsterdam
• Amsterdam Travel Tips
• Day Trips from Amsterdam
• 20 Things the Netherlands is Known for
• Giethoorn
• Dutch Food and Eating in the Netherlands
• Cycling in the Netherlands
• The best time of year to visit the Netherlands
• Amsterdam Red Light District Guide
• Haarlem

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Dutch Surnames – Frequently Asked Questions

Summary

Now as I stated before, not all Dutch surnames are funny sounding or have literal English translations. Many of the “van” names refer to a specific place or region, and not to a generic “hills” or “street”.

And even more are just normal sounding last names, such as Jaansen or Henrickson. These types of surnames came from a tradition of assigning last names based on the father’s name. So someone named Wilhelm Jaansen would be Wilhelm the son of Jaan.

Many people chose this method for their surname. That helps explain why not all Dutch surnames are based on a location, occupation, or physical trait.

Either way, the Dutch are blessed these days with some pretty amazing surnames! So now when you meet someone with an interesting Dutch surname you can quiz them on their family history and try to figure out how they got that name.