Dutch Last Names

By the Names.Contact Editorial Team · Updated September 2026 · 91 names

Dutch surnames are refreshingly literal. A Visser was a fisherman, a Van Dijk lived by the dike, and a De Vries was, quite simply, “the Frisian.” Many families only fixed their surnames in the Napoleonic era, when Napoleon’s administration required every household in the Netherlands to register one — which is why some Dutch names sound like jokes that stuck.

This page lists more than 90 Dutch last names grouped by type: the most common, the trades, the famous “van” place names, nickname surnames, Frisian names ending in -stra and -ma, patronymics and the Dutch names that became American dynasties. For first names, see our Dutch boy names and Dutch girl names, or compare with German last names.

Our top picks: De Jong, Van der Meer, Visser, De Vries, Dijkstra, Bakker, Van Dijk, De Graaf, Roosevelt, Hoekstra

Most common Dutch last names

These surnames top the charts in the Netherlands. A handful of them — De Jong, Jansen, De Vries — are shared by tens of thousands of Dutch people. See how they compare with the most common last names worldwide.

Surname	Meaning	Type
De Jong	The young one	Nickname
Jansen	Son of Jan	Patronymic
De Vries	The Frisian	Regional
Van den Berg	From the hill	Place
Van Dijk	From the dike	Place
Bakker	Baker	Occupational
Janssen	Son of Jan (southern spelling)	Patronymic
Visser	Fisherman	Occupational
Smit	Smith	Occupational
Meijer	Steward, tenant farmer	Occupational
De Boer	The farmer	Occupational
Mulder	Miller	Occupational
De Groot	The big or tall one	Nickname
Bos	Forest	Place
Vos	Fox	Nickname
Peters	Son of Peter	Patronymic
Hendriks	Son of Hendrik	Patronymic
Van Leeuwen	From Leeuwen	Place
Dekker	Roofer, thatcher	Occupational
Brouwer	Brewer	Occupational

Occupational Dutch surnames

If your ancestor had a trade, it may be written right into your name.

Surname	Trade	Note
Schouten	Bailiff, sheriff (schout)	A local official
Kuiper	Cooper, barrel maker	Very common
Schipper	Skipper, boatman	Fitting for a seafaring nation
Timmerman	Carpenter	Literally “timber man”
Molenaar	Miller	Windmill country
Kok	Cook	Short and common
Koster	Sexton, church caretaker	Religious
Wever	Weaver	Textile trade
Schilder	Painter	Houses or portraits
Kramer	Merchant, peddler	Also German
Snijder	Tailor	Literally “cutter”
Jager	Hunter	Also German
Metselaar	Bricklayer, mason	Builder
Slager	Butcher	Market trade

Dutch “van” surnames (place names)

“Van” means “from” — not a sign of nobility, unlike German “von.” These names point to a town, a river or a feature of the landscape.

Surname	Meaning	Famous bearer
Van der Meer	From the lake	Painter Johannes Vermeer’s name is a contraction of it
Van Beek	From the brook	—
Van der Linden	From the linden tree	—
Van Dam	From the dam	Actor Jean-Claude Van Damme (Belgian variant)
Van der Heijden	From the heath	—
Van Wijk	From the district or settlement	—
Van Vliet	From the stream	—
Van den Broek	From the marsh	—
Van der Wal	From the embankment	—
Van Houten	From the wood	Coenraad van Houten, cocoa pioneer
Van Rijn	From the Rhine	Rembrandt van Rijn
Van Gogh	From Goch, a town on the German border	Vincent van Gogh
Van der Veen	From the peat bog	—
Van Loon	From Loon	Historian Hendrik Willem van Loon
Van Rossum	From Rossum	Guido van Rossum, creator of Python

Nickname surnames with “De”

“De” means “the,” so these names began as descriptions of a person — their looks, their status or a memorable trait.

Surname	Meaning	Origin
De Wit	The white (fair-haired)	Appearance
De Bruijn	The brown (dark-haired)	Appearance
De Graaf	The count	Status, or worked for a count
De Haan	The rooster	Nickname or house sign
De Lange	The tall one	Appearance
De Klerk	The clerk	Occupation
De Ruiter	The rider, cavalryman	Admiral Michiel de Ruyter
De Koning	The king	Nickname or pageant role
De Zwart	The black (dark-haired)	Appearance
De Leeuw	The lion	House sign or nickname
De Wolf	The wolf	House sign or nickname

Frisian surnames ending in -stra and -ma

In Friesland, -stra usually means “one who lives at” a place, and -ma marks a descendant. They’re easy to spot and very common in the north.

Surname	Meaning	Note
Hoekstra	One who lives at the corner	Very common
Dijkstra	One who lives by the dike	Computer scientist Edsger Dijkstra
Zijlstra	One who lives by the sluice	—
Terpstra	One who lives on a terp (dwelling mound)	Uniquely Frisian landscape
Hofstra	One who lives at the farmstead or court	Hofstra University, NY
Veenstra	One who lives by the peat bog	—
Bosma	From the woods	—
Wiersma	Descendant of Wier	—
Jellema	Descendant of Jelle	—
Kingma	Descendant of King (Frisian given name)	—
Sikkema	Descendant of Sikke	—

Dutch patronymic surnames

Before 1811, many Dutch people simply used “son of” names. When fixed surnames became mandatory, these patronymics froze in place.

Surname	Meaning	Note
Pieters	Son of Pieter	Also Pietersen
Willems	Son of Willem	Southern Dutch and Flemish
Gerritsen	Son of Gerrit	—
Claassen	Son of Klaas (Nicolaas)	—
Dirksen	Son of Dirk	—
Adriaanse	Son of Adriaan	Zeeland style
Martens	Son of Maarten	—
Jacobs	Son of Jacob	—
Cornelissen	Son of Cornelis	—
Thijssen	Son of Thijs (Matthijs)	—

Dutch last names in America

New Netherland (today’s New York, New Jersey and beyond) gave America some of its most famous surnames.

Surname	Dutch meaning	American connection
Roosevelt	Rose field	Presidents Theodore and Franklin D. Roosevelt
Vanderbilt	From De Bilt, near Utrecht	Cornelius Vanderbilt’s railroad fortune
Van Buren	From Buren	Martin Van Buren, 8th US president
Van Rensselaer	From Rensselaer	Colonial patroons of the Albany region
Schuyler	Scholar	General Philip Schuyler
Stuyvesant	Meaning uncertain	Peter Stuyvesant of New Amsterdam
Van Dyke	From the dike	Actor Dick Van Dyke
Van Halen	From Halen	Rock band founded by Eddie and Alex Van Halen
Van Horn	From Hoorn	Common across the US
Van Cortlandt	From Cortlandt	Van Cortlandt Park in the Bronx

Tips for researching a Dutch surname

Look for the 1811 registration. Napoleon’s decree forced families to adopt fixed surnames, so records from 1811–1812 often show exactly when your family name was chosen.
Before that, follow the patronymics. A man called Jan Pietersz was “Jan, son of Pieter” — his son might be Pieter Jansz. The surname changes every generation.
Mind “van,” “de” and “der” in alphabetizing. Dutch indexes usually file Van den Berg under B, while American records file it under V.
Check the Frisian endings. A name in -stra or -ma almost always points to Friesland or Groningen. Our Viking last names show similar Germanic patterns further north.
Expect Americanized spellings. Van Dijk often became Van Dyke, Meijer became Meyer, and Kuiper became Cooper.

Frequently asked questions

What is the most common Dutch last name?

De Jong (“the young one”) is the most common surname in the Netherlands, followed by Jansen, De Vries, Van den Berg and Van Dijk.

What does “van” mean in a Dutch last name?

“Van” means “from” and usually refers to a place, like Van Dijk (“from the dike”). Unlike German “von,” it does not indicate noble birth.

What do -stra and -ma mean in Dutch surnames?

They’re Frisian endings. “-stra” means someone who lives at a place (Dijkstra, “by the dike”), and “-ma” marks a descendant (Jellema, “descendant of Jelle”).

Is Roosevelt a Dutch name?

Yes. Roosevelt comes from the Dutch “van Rosevelt,” meaning “from the rose field.” Both presidents Roosevelt descended from 17th-century Dutch settlers in New Amsterdam.

Why do some Dutch last names sound funny?

When surnames became mandatory in 1811, some people chose playful or odd names, assuming the rule wouldn’t last. It did, and a few whimsical names are still around today. See our funny last names.