Common Dutch Surnames & Their Meanings

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By
Kimberly Powell
Kimberly Powell
Genealogy Expert
  • Certificate in Genealogical Research, Boston University
  • B.A., Carnegie Mellon University
Kimberly Powell is a professional genealogist and the author of The Everything Guide to Online Genealogy. She teaches at the Genealogical Institute of Pittsburgh and the Salt Lake Institute of Genealogy.
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Updated on May 03, 2019

De Jong, Jansen, De Vries... Are you one of the millions of individuals of Dutch ancestry sporting one of these top common last names from the Netherlands? The following list of the most commonly occurring surnames in the Netherlands, based on the 2007 census, includes details on each name's origin and meaning. 

01
of 20

DE JONG

Frequency: 83,937 people in 2007; 55,480 in 1947
Translating literally as "the young," the de Jong surname means "junior."

02
of 20

JANSEN

Frequency: 73,538 people in 2007; 49,238 in 1947
A patronymic name meaning "son of Jan." The given name "Jan" or "John" means "God has favored or gift of God."

03
of 20

DE VRIES

Frequency: 71,099 people in 2007; 49,658 in 1947
This common Dutch family name identifies a Frisian, a person from Friesland or someone with Frisian roots.

04
of 20

VAN DEN BERG (van de Berg, van der Berg)

58,562 people in 2007; 37,727 in 1947

Van den Berg is the most commonly used spelling of this Dutch surname, a toponymic surname meaning "from the mountain."

05
of 20

VAN DIJK (van Dyk)

Frequency: 56,499 people in 2007; 36,636 in 1947
Living in a dike or someone from a place with a name ending in -dijk or -dyk.

06
of 20

BAKKER

Frequency: 55,273 people in 2007; 37,767 in 1947
Just as it sounds, the Dutch surname Baaker is an occupational surname for "baker."

07
of 20

JANSSEN

Frequency: 54,040 people in 2007; 32,949 in 1947
Yet another patronymic surname variant meaning "son of John."

08
of 20

VISSER

Frequency: 49,525 people in 2007; 34,910 in 1947
A Dutch occupational name for "fisherman."

09
of 20

SMIT

Frequency: 42,280 people in 2007; 29,919 in 1947
A smid (smit) in the Netherlands is a blacksmith, making this a common Dutch occupational surname.

10
of 20

MEIJER (Meyer)

Frequency: 40,047 people in 2007; 28,472 in 1947
A meijer, meier or meyer is a steward or overseer, or someone who helped to manage the household or farm.

11
of 20

DE BOER

Frequency: 38,343 people in 2007; 25,753 in 1947
This popular Dutch surname derives from the Dutch word boer, meaning "farmer."

12
of 20

MULDER

36,207 people in 2007; 24,745 in 1947

, meaning "miller."

, meaning "miller."

13
of 20

DE GROOT

Frequency: 36,147 people in 2007; 24,787 in 1947
Often bestowed as a nickname for a tall person, from the adjective groot, from the middle Dutch grote, meaning "big" or "great."

14
of 20

BOS

35,407 people in 2007; 23,880 in 1947

, modern Dutch

.

.

15
of 20

VOS

Frequency: 30,279 people in 2007; 19,554 in 1947
A nickname for an individual with red hair (as red as a fox), or someone who is crafty like a fox, from the Dutch vos, meaning "fox." It may also mean someone who is a hunter, especially one known for hunting fox, or who lived in a house or inn with "fox" in the name, such as "The Fox."

16
of 20

PETERS

Frequency: 30,111 people in 2007; 18,636 in 1947
A patronymic name of Dutch, German, and English origin meaning "son of Peter."

17
of 20

HENDRIKS

Frequency: 29,492 people in 2007; 18,728 in 1947
A patronymic surname derived from the personal name Hendrik; of Dutch and North German origin.

18
of 20

DEKKER

Frequency: 27,946 people in 2007; 18,855 in 1947
An occupational surname for a roofer or thatcher, from the Middle Dutch deck(e)re, derived from decken, meaning "to cover."

19
of 20

VAN LEEUWEN

Frequency: 27,837 people in 2007; 17,802 in 1947
A toponymic surname indicating one who came from a place called Lions, from the Gothic hlaiw, or burial hill.

20
of 20

BROUWER

Frequency: 25,419 people in 2007; 17,553 in 1947
A Dutch occupational surname for a brewer of beer or ale, from the Middle Dutch brouwer.

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Powell, Kimberly. "Common Dutch Surnames & Their Meanings." ThoughtCo, Aug. 27, 2020, thoughtco.com/common-dutch-surnames-and-their-meanings-1422201. Powell, Kimberly. (2020, August 27). Common Dutch Surnames & Their Meanings. Retrieved from https://www.thoughtco.com/common-dutch-surnames-and-their-meanings-1422201 Powell, Kimberly. "Common Dutch Surnames & Their Meanings." ThoughtCo. https://www.thoughtco.com/common-dutch-surnames-and-their-meanings-1422201 (accessed March 21, 2023).

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