Dutch Girl Names
Dutch girl names manage to be both sweet and no-nonsense. Today’s favorites — Tess, Saar, Noor, Fenna — are short and bright, while the grandmothers of the Netherlands carried grand baptismal names like Wilhelmina and Petronella, softened into Mien and Nel at home. Dutch also loves the diminutive ending -je or -ke, which turns Maria into Marieke and Anna into Antje.
We’ve collected more than 95 Dutch girl names, with meanings and pronunciation hints wherever the Dutch spelling might surprise you. For boys, see our Dutch boy names; for surnames, Dutch last names. The main Dutch names page covers the whole tradition, and our German girl names share many roots.
Popular Dutch girl names
These names sit at or near the top of recent Dutch baby-name lists.
| Name | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Emma | Whole, universal | A perennial Dutch favorite |
| Julia | Youthful | Latin |
| Mila | Gracious, dear | Slavic |
| Tess | Short for Teresa | Crisp and modern |
| Sophie | Wisdom | Greek |
| Zoë | Life | Greek |
| Nora | Light; short for Eleonora | Vintage revival |
| Yara | Possibly “small butterfly” | Very popular recently |
| Olivia | Olive tree | Latin |
| Sara | Princess | Hebrew |
| Saar | Dutch form of Sara | Said SAHR |
| Evi | Short for Eva, “life” | Said AY-vee |
| Noor | Light (Arabic); short for Eleonora | Said NOHR |
| Lotte | Short for Charlotte, “free” | Said LOT-uh |
| Fenna | Frisian, possibly “peace” | Northern favorite |
| Liv | Life | Scandinavian |
| Nina | Little girl (Spanish) or short for Anna | International |
| Lieke | Dutch diminutive, e.g. of Angelique | Said LEE-kuh |
| Isa | Short for Isabella or Louisa | Said EE-sa |
| Maud | Mighty in battle (from Matilda) | Said MOWD |
| Fleur | Flower | French, very popular in the Netherlands |
| Elin | Scandinavian form of Helen, “light” | Soft and simple |
Short Dutch girl names
Dutch parents love a punchy one-syllable name. For more, see our short girl names.
| Name | Short for / meaning | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Jip | Unisex; from the classic picture books Jip en Janneke | YIP |
| Puck | The sprite in A Midsummer Night’s Dream | PUK |
| Fien | Short for Josefien, “God will add” | FEEN |
| Jet | Short for Henriëtte, “ruler of the home” | YET |
| Floor | Short for Flora or Florentina, “flower” | FLOHR |
| Loes | Short for Louisa, “famous warrior” | LOOS |
| Bo | Unisex; Scandinavian, “to live, dwell” | BOH |
| Sanne | Short for Susanna, “lily” | SAN-uh |
| Femke | Frisian diminutive of Fem, possibly “woman” | FEM-kuh |
| Ilse | Short for Elisabeth, “God is my oath” | IL-suh |
| Kiki | Pet form of Christina | KEE-kee |
Classic Dutch girl names
Found in every Dutch family tree, these formal names are ready for a stylish comeback.
| Name | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Maria | Beloved, or “bitter” | Everyday forms: Mies, Marieke |
| Johanna | God is gracious | Everyday form: Jo |
| Geertruida | Spear strength | Everyday form: Truus |
| Neeltje | Little Cornelia | Very traditional |
| Grietje | Little Margaretha, “pearl” | From the Hansel and Gretel tale (Hans en Grietje) |
| Cornelia | Feminine of Cornelius | Nickname Corrie |
| Wilhelmina | Resolute protector | Queen Wilhelmina reigned 1890–1948 |
| Hendrika | Ruler of the home | Feminine of Hendrik |
| Catharina | Pure | Nickname Toos or Trijn |
| Elisabeth | God is my oath | Nickname Bep or Liesbeth |
| Adriana | From Hadria | Nickname Janny or Adrie |
| Jacoba | Supplanter | Feminine of Jacob |
| Petronella | Rock (from Petronius) | Nickname Nel |
| Aaltje | Little Adelheid, “noble” | Old-fashioned charm |
| Antje | Little Anna, “grace” | Said AHN-tyuh |
| Trijntje | Little Catharina | Very Dutch |
Dutch nicknames for girls
These vintage call names were everywhere in the 20th century — some are now so retro they’re cool.
| Nickname | Formal name | Vibe |
|---|---|---|
| Truus | Geertruida | Plucky |
| Mies | Maria | Vintage |
| Riet | Margaretha or Henriëtte | Homey |
| Ans | Anna or Johanna | Crisp |
| Toos | Catharina or Antonia | Retro |
| Mien | Wilhelmina | Grandmotherly |
| Jo | Johanna | Timeless |
| Nel | Petronella or Cornelia | Sweet |
| Bep | Elisabeth | Very Dutch |
| Corrie | Cornelia | Author Corrie ten Boom |
| Tine | Martina or Christina | Soft |
Frisian girl names
The northern province of Friesland has its own language — and names you’ll find nowhere else. Many end in the diminutive -ke.
| Name | Meaning / origin | Pronunciation |
|---|---|---|
| Froukje | Little lady (from frouwe) | FROW-kyuh |
| Sytske | Feminine diminutive of Sieds, “victory” | SEET-skuh |
| Wietske | Feminine of Wiebe, “bright battle” | VEET-skuh |
| Jildou | Modern Frisian favorite, meaning uncertain | YIL-dow |
| Tjitske | Frisian diminutive, meaning uncertain | CHIT-skuh |
| Hiske | Frisian diminutive of Hille, “battle” | HIS-kuh |
| Janke | Frisian feminine of Jan, “God is gracious” | YAHN-kuh |
| Baukje | Frisian diminutive, meaning uncertain | BOWK-yuh |
| Aukje | Frisian diminutive of Auke | OWK-yuh |
| Rixt | Old Frisian name; the legend of Rixt of Oerd | RIKST |
| Sjoukje | Frisian diminutive; skater Sjoukje Dijkstra | SHOWK-yuh |
Dutch nature names for girls
Dutch has lovely word names drawn from birds, trees and flowers. Pair them with our flower names for girls.
| Name | Meaning | Why we like it |
|---|---|---|
| Merel | Blackbird | Hugely popular and melodic |
| Linde | Linden tree | Soft and green |
| Sterre | Star | Poetic and uncommon |
| Madelief | Daisy | Whimsical and rare |
| Roos | Rose | Said ROHS |
| Lieve | Dear, beloved | Said LEE-vuh |
| Jasmijn | Jasmine | Said yas-MAYN |
| Iris | Rainbow; the iris flower | Works in any language |
| Hazel | Hazel tree | Borrowed from English, now used in NL |
Dutch girl names that work in English
Clearly Dutch, but easy for American friends and teachers to spell and say.
| Name | Meaning | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Anouk | Pet form of Anna, “grace” | French-Dutch favorite |
| Mirthe | Myrtle | Said MEER-tuh |
| Marieke | Little Maria | Said ma-REE-kuh |
| Liesbeth | Dutch form of Elisabeth | Said LEES-bet |
| Annelies | Anna + Elisabeth | Said AH-nuh-lees |
| Janneke | Little Jan (feminine) | From Jip en Janneke |
| Esmée | Esteemed, loved | Said es-MAY |
Names of famous Dutch women
From royalty to writers and athletes, these Dutch women made their names unforgettable.
| Name | Famous Dutch woman | Known for |
|---|---|---|
| Anne | Anne Frank | Diarist of the Secret Annex |
| Beatrix | Queen Beatrix | Reigned 1980–2013 |
| Juliana | Queen Juliana | Reigned 1948–1980 |
| Máxima | Queen Máxima | Argentine-born queen consort |
| Aletta | Aletta Jacobs | First woman to attend a Dutch university and to work as a physician |
| Fanny | Fanny Blankers-Koen | Four gold medals at the 1948 Olympics |
| Annie | Annie M. G. Schmidt | Beloved children’s author |
| Famke | Famke Janssen | Actress; Frisian name meaning “little girl” |
| Carice | Carice van Houten | Actress |
| Doutzen | Doutzen Kroes | Frisian supermodel |
How to choose a Dutch girl name
- Know the diminutives. Dutch adds -je, -tje or -ke to make names sweeter: Anna becomes Antje, Maria becomes Marieke. It’s a lovely way to personalize a classic.
- Check the “j” sound. In Dutch, “j” sounds like English “y,” so Janneke is YAH-nuh-kuh. In the US, expect it to be said with an English “j.”
- Use nature words. Merel, Linde and Sterre are fresh, meaningful and almost unknown in America — see also our nature names for girls.
- Balance the sibling set. Short Dutch girls’ names like Tess or Saar pair nicely with brothers called Sem, Daan or Bram.
- Honor Oma with a nickname. Grandma was Wilhelmina? Consider Mina, or even the retro-cool Mien, as a middle name.
Frequently asked questions
What is the most popular girl name in the Netherlands?
Emma, Julia, Mila, Tess and Sophie have all been among the most popular girl names in the Netherlands in recent years.
What is a traditional Dutch girl name?
Maria, Johanna, Cornelia, Wilhelmina, Geertruida and Catharina are traditional Dutch girl names, often shortened to nicknames like Mies, Jo, Corrie, Mien, Truus and Toos.
What does Merel mean?
Merel is the Dutch word for “blackbird.” It’s a popular Dutch girl name with a gentle, musical sound.
What Dutch girl names end in -je or -ke?
Diminutive names like Marieke, Janneke, Antje, Grietje, Neeltje, Femke and Froukje use the Dutch -je or -ke ending, which means “little.”
What is a Dutch name that means star?
Sterre means “star” in Dutch. For more options, browse our names that mean star.