Locations Groningen - Friesland - Drenthe - Overijssel - Flevoland - Gelderland - Utrecht - Noord-Holland - Zuid-Holland - Zeeland - Noord-Brabant - Limburg - Amsterdam - Rotterdam - Den Haag - Netherlands Antilles - Surinam - Australia - Canada - Germany - Ghana - Taiwan - USA
Topics Baptists - Dates and times - Dutch food - Dutch history - Dutch language - Dutch names - Emigration - Early Dutch settlers - Ellis Island - Holland America Line - New to Dutch genealogy - Newsletter - Online genealogy - Pitfalls - Sources - Wilhelminakade - Wie was wie


The origin of your Dutch surname

My Story

The Meertens Institute is an institute that researches Dutch language and culture. They are also doing research into the origins and development of surnames in the Netherlands, and have published a large database of surnames and their meanings and origins.

If you want to know the meaning of your Dutch surname, have a look in their Database of Surnames. Click the British flag to get the search interface in English. The search result will still contain some data in Dutch, though.

The search results may contain an explication of the origin of the name, bibliographical references, specific name characteristics and components, lists of name variations and names with similar meaning, and the distribution of the name over The Netherlands in 1947.

Labels:

Subscribe to feed
e-mail:

141 Comments:

Blogger Unknown said...

I am trying to determine the meaning of the Guisbert or Guisbertson surname. This name later became Gilbertson and Giberson during the colonial period in America. The Guisbertsons (Gibersons) came to New Jersey in the early 1600's (1635?) and settled in the Port Republic area near Atlantic City. According to direct descendents still living in Port Republic, the name is Dutch. I learned this after I had spent my first 40 years being told by my family that we were Swedish. Any help is appreciated. Thanks.

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

I don't think Guisbert is a Dutch name, but there are several similar Dutch names, like Gisberts, Gilberts, Gijsberts or Gijsbertsen. These are patronymic names, e.g. Gijsbertsen means "son of Gijsbert".

 
Blogger wguisbert said...

I read in a pulitzer prize comprehensive history book written by a Catherine somebody that the first "French pope" was a Geisbert. Perhaps after the Hugenot persecutions some emigrated to Dutch Reformed Holland, and became "Guisberts"
I was at a RV rental place in Denver and the girl at the counter excitedly greeted me, thinking I was Dutch. She was from Holland and informed me that Guisbert was a common name in Holland.
I kind of put this possibilty together because I have a summer home in Ontario and I have been told by numerous people they know "Guisberts" and that they are French speaking.
Ultimately, Guisbert may be French!
"uis" is often used in the French language, as is "ert" at the end of words and names.
Some food fo thought!

 
Blogger wguisbert said...

Her name wasn't Catherine. It was Barbara Tuchman,and the book was "A Distant Mirror", it covered the history of the 14th century.
A few minutes on the internet cleared that up for me! It was fun!

 
Blogger swimalot said...

I need to know the meaning of Stolk. I need to know asap. I know that it is dutch and possibly german too, but no where have I been able to find the meaning of it.

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

The origin of the name Stolk is uncertain. Stolk may be a shortened form of Stolwijk, which is a Dutch village in the province Zuid-Holland.

See Stolk, Stolker and Stolwijk in the Dutch surname database (in Dutch).

 
Blogger Cheryle Hoover Davis said...

Some of my Dutch surnames are:

Van Oblinis
Corsi
Cray
Van Campen/Kammpen
Corszen
Christiaens
Simons
Van Garden

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

You have Van Kampen ancestors, Cheryle? Me too;-)

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi. I am trying to find the origin of the surname van de Rest?

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Curiously, as a child, I was always told by my grandparents that our family had Dutch and Swedish roots. And that may yet be true. However, I have since discovered that the surname 'Giberson' has existed in Northern England and South western Scotland for centuries, even before the discovery and subsequent colonisation of the Americas. I theorise that due to the great numbers of 'British' Gibersons in southeastern New Jersey, the Dutch Guisbertsons and Scandinavian Giversens (Give is a county in Denmark) anglicised their names to Giberson in order to assimilate into the predominately English and Scots-Irish community. The Dutch pronunciation of Guisbertson would sound more like Hüspert-zawn than Gize-bert-sin and thus rather foreign to English ears. Therefore, it may be that there are many genealogically unrelated lines of Gibersons throughout the United States.

-Jersey Giberson

 
Anonymous Sue H said...

Hi

My maiden name was de Vroome and I know that it was my great great grandad who moved from Holland to England in the late 19th Century.

I would love to know the origin of the name.

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Hi Sue,

De Vroome means The pious. According to the Meertens Institute, there were 309 De Vroomes in The Netherlands in 1947, 106 of them in the province Noord-Holland.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey there. I've been told that my last name is Dutch but I can't seem to confirm that fact for sure cause for one thing, the name Westenra is not listed in the Meersten Institute database, and second the internet is telling me that it could be Irish but I'm certain that I'm part Indische Nederlander though. Most of my ancestors were of Dutch decent. Could someone please help me out with this cause I've been researching my last name for a while now and the best historical information on the Westenra name that I've encountered states that it's the surname of the Rossmore Barons, a major landowning family in Ireland. It also states that the last name is Dutch, derived from "Westenraggah". I would love to ask my parents but shame the fact that we're no longer talking so further detailed information on my roots I would find greatly comforting. Dank je wel Schatjes! Doei! x

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

HI am researching my family roots for medical reasons, I am told my gramdmother was dutch. Her last name was Keaton. Every website takes me to England ..why? Were keatons settlers in England?please let me know Thanks

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Keaton is an English name, not Dutch. Try to find out where your grandmother came from, if she was really Dutch.

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

"Westenra" is not a Dutch name, but "Westera" is. I expect your family name changed slightly after your ancestors left Holland.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dank je wel Henk! Appreciate you helping me out! One last thing though, is there a meaning behind the Westera or Westra name? x

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Browsing through Meertens, it seems that Westra is either a patronym ("son of Wester") or a toponym ("from WestXXX"). Westera is probably a toponym, this name probably originated in the province Overijssel.

 
Anonymous Pete said...

I've noticed Dutch surnames revolve around patronymics and place names, also professions. Also, didn't the Dutch refuse to use surnames until Napolean made them register, and that's where we get some of the names from? My surname is DeGraff->Dijkgraaf. As far as i understand it has to do with a position or job. Currently what information i've gathered has my oldest paternal ancestor as a Krijn Dijkgraaf about 1620 in Oudenhoorn. Most of the relatives lived in the same region and other provinces close by. In an instance like this is there any way of knowing what possible surname they may have had before? And since it seems they didnt like to use surnames before the enactment from Napolean, how difficult is it traced back ancestry beyond that? Anyway for getting data that may help? Websites? Anything? Most things seem to turn up virtually nothing. All in all i think it will be interesting to get my Y-DNA results just to see how it plays out. I'd assume I'm of Germanic stock, but you never know. Maybe Frisian? Plus it's a coastal region so I'm sure there have been tons of ethnic groups flooding in and out of region that is the Netherlands. Do people from the Netherlands tend to be Germanic,Scandanavian,Celtic?

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

@Pete: many of the Dutch already used surnames before Napoleon was even born, but after Napoleon everybody needed to use surnames. Even before Napoleon people used patronymics as their surname (meaning...they already had a surname for some generations that used to be someones first name). The origins of most names are either patronimic, location (town, piece of land, description), profession, nicknames

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Surnames were already common long before Napoleon. Only in rural areas in the north and east were surnames still rare.

Napoleon's laws (including the surname requirement) were introduced here in 1811. Pete's ancestor Krijn Dijkgraaf already used a surname in 1620.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

guisbert means lone shepard

 
Blogger Christopher said...

might anybody have an idea as to the etymology of the surname "Pothoven"? i'm a 3rd gen american, and know my heritage up to the early 17th century, but nobody seems to know what pothoven means literally in English. my opa says that hoven is an open area or something and pot is pot, but this doesn't seem to help. sloppy translation pages say it's something like 'courts of pot' but i'm skeptical. might anybody be able to shed some light on my name in a way that makes sense? it's worth noting that there are an immense amount of Pothovens in southern Holland, which strikes me as sort of the american version of "Smith."

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm looking for the meaning and origin of the Katsma surname, any information would be great.

 
Blogger Unknown said...

hi im searching high and low for the meaning and origin of the surname LOURENS - from what ive found it is said to derive from the dutch, scottish and even spanish. can anyone help me?

many thanks

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Katsma was probably a place in or near Friesland, or maybe the name of a house: In 1723 married Geertje Claases, from Catsma, in Anjum (Friesland). Source: Tresoar.

The earliest references to the Katsma/Catsma name that I could find in Tresoar are a few baptisms of children of Claas/Klaas Catsma/Katsma in Anjum, just after 1700 (Geertje Claases may well have been a daughter of this Claas Catsma), and the marriage of Hylkje Catsma in Leeuwarden (Friesland) in 1700.

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Lourens is a Dutch first name, and also a surname (a patronymic).

I don't know anything about Scottish or Spanish names, but it is quite possible that the name Lourens exists in other countries as well. If someone has the surname Lourens that does not prove s/he is from Dutch descent. To prove that you will have to research his/her ancestors.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am hoping someone might know the origin of the surname Strijker. I had read it might mean "to iron" or "iron out differences." Our family is from Groningen (Midwolda and Winschoten).

 
Blogger Unknown said...

Hi,

my surname is Gaag and I've been trying to find the meaning of my surname, but can't find it..
Can anyone help?
Thanks
Chris

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hi does anyone know if the name albertous coorey is dutch and if so what would be the proper spelling,know albertous was called peter in uk. many thanks.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hi trying to find out if albertus cui is a dutch name and if so what is the meaning any help is much appreciated
thanks.

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

More on the names Strijker and (van der) Gaag on my latest blog post.

 
Blogger Unknown said...

I am looking for information on the VanMeveren family name. I have traced it back to 1847 when the came to the port of Baltimore, but can not find anything more before they came to America.The father of the family that came here is Pieter VanMeveren and his father was Aart Ruthsz VanMeveren. Can anyone provide any other information, or suggest where to go next? Thank you!

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi,
Some of the Dutch origin names like VanMeveren are written in the Netherlands as Van Meveren (separate words). The first word then often gives a clue to the meaning of the name. 'Van' means 'from' (so these are usually toponyms), 'de' means 'the' (usually refer to a profession or chracter trait), 'van der' and 'van de' mean 'from the' (usually refer to a place or a house)

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi i would like to know the meaning of the name Borgh, they were born in holland and moved to australia when they were very young i would really love to know the meaning

 
Anonymous Hooijer said...

Hi, I'd appreaciate it if anyone knows what my last name(Hooijer) is. I cannot seem to find it wherever I seem to look; however, I know it's Dutch.

 
Blogger Jake Sting said...

My last name is Oosting, and I have always been close to my grandparents who are both from the Netherlands. What does it mean?

 
Anonymous laddydigger said...

I am trying to find the meaning of the Buckner surname,which I hear that it is Dutch! Any help would appreciated. Thanks

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Buckner is German, not Dutch.

In the Readers' questions column on this blog I discussed the surnames Borgh, Hooijer, and Oosting.

 
Blogger Laura said...

Our surname was Stiver or Steiver and it turned to Stevers. Wondering if there are others related to Martin D. Stevers b.1832 Whitehall New York d.Woodstock ILL. A stuiver was a 10 cent piece.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

@ Borgh

Hello, I am from the Netherlands and I would like to answer your question.
The name Borgh has two meanings;
- First I would think of the word for a small castle in the Province of Groningen like Menkemaborg. (Borgh with an H is quite oldfashioned)
- Second a Borg is someone who guarantees that a debtor will pay his debt to the creditor.

On this website you can see how the name is spread in The Netherlands
http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nfb/detail_naam.php?gba_lcnaam=borgh&gba_naam=Borgh&nfd_naam=Borgh&operator=eq&taal=

Oosterling means something like from the east.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

@Lourens I am from the Netherlands and Lourens is a common Dutch name meaning son of Lourens. Here is a link:

http://www2.tresoar.nl/genealogie/naamsaanname/toonna.php?inv=29_37&mairie=Kollum&folio=44&verso=&achter=ja

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

@Lourens another link:
http://www2.tresoar.nl/genealogie/naamsaanname/toonna.php?inv=29_26&mairie=Wolvega&folio=50&verso=v&achter=ja

Original files Familienamen 1811 on

 
Anonymous Ben Buckner said...

"Buckner is German, not Dutch."

It's usually English, though there are rare instances in Germany (http://buckbd.com/genea/buckner.html).

Incidentally, Guisbert is the Francophone equivalent on Gijsbert. In French, if you want to have a hard 'g' sound, you spell it "gu", so you have forms like "Guilbert" & "Guisbert". If you see that spelling convention, there's a good chance they're from a French-speaking part of the Low Countries, basically Flanders. The variant "Giberson" is an anglicized phonetic spelling - that's very close to how "Guisbert" would be pronounced by most French speakers - Ghee-bayr.

 
Blogger Unknown said...

Thanks to all who over the years have commented on my question about the origin of the name Giberson.

In 1992, I met with Gary Giberson, Mayor of Port Republic, NJ, who informed me with great confidence that the name was of Dutch origin. He indicated that the Dutch Gibersons came to the area in 1637. Gary lives on the property given to the Gibersons around 1680 by King George, after pledging fealty to England. See his statement on this at the following:
http://www.mayorgarysgarage.com/mayorgarysgarage.htm

Although there are English Gibersons, I still think it is originally Dutch, and came from Gijsbert (and variations) who are shown to have arrived in the New World from Amsterdam in the 1630's. The Giberson names I have seen as originating in the UK are from the early 1800's, which leads me to believe they were earlier immigrants from Holland.

My earliest confirmed relative is James Giberson, born 1750, of Monmouth, New Jersey. This family later moved to Ohio and then to Michigan, where I live.

Gijsbert is described as the Dutch form of the Latin Gilbertus, meaning "pledge-bright."

 
Blogger Laura said...

I could use some help with the Stivers/Stevers line living in Vermont and Whitehall New York. Benjamin Stivers, son Isaac Stevers born 1791. Thanks for any info,Laura Updike/Stevers ,Isaac's gggranddaughter. updikemail@gmail.com

 
Anonymous Chane said...

Um, no one in the USA has my last name, Van Breukelen, and when i search it up on the internet, nothing helpful comes up~ so... what does it mean??

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Breukelen is a Dutch town. Van Breukelen means from Breukelen.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was wondering if beltman is a dutch last name.my grandpa and great-grampa came from holland just do not know which part any help would be great thanks

 
Blogger Unknown said...

I am trying to figure out the meaning of Van Meveren. I know it means of the or from the but does anyone know of a town of Meveren or Mever? Closest I have found is a northern Belgian town by the name of Beveren

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Beltman is a Dutch name, from the eastern part of The Netherlands (provinces Overijssel and Gelderland).

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

I think Van Meveren comes from Van Mever.

The name Van Mever was found in the village Noordeloos and the surrounding area (including first names you have in your tree, like Ruth, Aart and Pieter).

Example: Pieter van Mever, son of Aart van Mever, married Neeltje van den Berg in 1821 in Noordeloos. Pieter's brother Ruth van Mever married in 1830.

I don't know what "Mever" means, though.

 
Anonymous PBenedyuk said...

Does the last name Benedyuk ring a bell to anything Dutch related?

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

No, Benedyuk is not Dutch. See this list of names starting with bened-.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi Henk,

My Mother is 100% Dutch and her maiden name is Kamps. We heard a rumour that Dutch people with that last name are originally from Italy (which seemed a little far-fetched to us!) Is there any truth to that? Do you have any other information about the origin of this last name?

Thanks, Grace

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

The name Kamps is common in the eastern provinces in The Netherlands, especially in the province Drenthe. I expect that there are multiple unrelated families with the same name.

According to the Corpus of Family Names in the Netherlands, the name could be patronymic (i.e. Kamps means son of Kamp, where Kamp is a given name) or toponymic (i.e. the family is named after a place - maybe there was a farm with the name Kamps).

I doubt there is a connection with Italy.

The oldest Camps I found in Drenthe's church books is Willem Jans Camps, who married in 1671. Kamps I found first in 1724, when Jan Kamps was buried. The names Kamps and Camps were probably used interchangeably at the time.

 
Blogger Laura said...

Is there a way to trace my Dutch Stiver line to Holland when they sailed to America in 1664. What ship and harbor? I have traced it back to Benjamin Stivers born 1760ish &turned to Stevers with his son Isaac born 1791 married to Olive Murray living in Whitehall NY. Maybe the spelling was Stuyver. I know it ment a 10 cent coin Mrs.Stevers updikemail@gmail.com

 
Blogger RKBenjaboom said...

My last name is Hougaboom. I would love to know more about it, and the dutch meaning behind it. I'd imagine it was adapted from other names, but have not been able to find anything out. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

 
Anonymous Roefs said...

Do you know the origin of the last name "Roefs"?

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Roefs is probably patronymic, meaning son of Roe[lo]f. The name is found mostly in the eastern part of the province Noord-Brabant.

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Hougaboom is probably an angliziced version of a Dutch name like Hooge(n)boom. The name means High Tree - probably your ancestor lived near a high tree.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I know that my last name is dutch, in America it was changed to Dykshoorn but my mother tells me it used to be spelled Dijkshorne an I found a map of the Netherlands and found a town. Is there any chance it had a meaning or is it just a town?

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi - my maiden name is Buitendag - is there any Dutch reference to this surname if so what?

 
Anonymous janaprins said...

My maiden name is Prins. I know it's a very common Dutch surname and the meaning is obvious. I am just wondering why it is so common - why did so many take that as their surname? I doubt we're all related to royalty! Thank you.

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

I don't think your ancestor was a prince. But maybe he looked like a prince, or behaved as a prince, or worked for a prince, or worked for or lived in (or next to) an inn named "Prince of ...".

 
Anonymous Ashleigh Keulemans said...

Good Day, I would like to find out the meaning and origin of the Keulemans surname - if anyone has any information, I would be most grateful if you would share it with me.
Kind Regards
Ashleigh Keulemans (South Africa)

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

According to the Meertens database, Keulemans can either be a patronymic name (derived from the first name Keuleman or Koleman, which is derived from the first name Kool or Kole, which is derived from Nicolaas), or it can be toponymic (derived from topographic names like Koel, Keule or Kuil).

source

 
Blogger Pam S said...

I'm looking for the meaning of the surname Baar which I believe was actually DeBaar. They settled in the USA in Michigan.

pmsnds@bellsouth.net

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

The Meertens database has two possible meanings for De Baar. The Dutch word baar can mean (almost) nude (cf. bare in English), so De Baar could refer to e.g. a poor person who could not afford a shirt. The other possibility is that the name comes from de French de Bar, meaning from the (French) town Bar.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

My Surname is van As, i have been told this means from ashes, can anyone confirm?

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

The literal translation of Van As is indeed "from ashes". But your name probably means "from [the town] As", or "from [the town] Asch". There are several towns and villages with the name As or Asch in The Netherlands and in Belgium.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am trying to find Dutch links to my maiden name of Lanckmans (which can also be spelt Lanckman). I know that my grandfather came originally from Belgium, and that he was Flemish, but I have been told the name has Dutch origins. Thanks for any help.

Gerry

 
Blogger laurel said...

my maiden name is DeVore- and the family came here in 1710 but am certain the spelling has changed along the way...devoor? de boor? any ideas?

 
Blogger sandy said...

Hi,could anyone help me with the meaning of the name Barkema? My father in law is 89 and has always wanted to know. His father was John (J) Barkema from Ulrum Groningen b 1856 and mother Antje VanderPloeg from (?) T'zand Pro-Groningen (?)b 1858. Sorry for the misspells but that is what the words look like. I am also having a hard time finding thir parents!!

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Hi Sandy,
I can't find anything about the origin of the name Barkema. The family seems to originate in Groningen. I did find your family, in Genlias:
.
Jan Barkema, 25, born in Houwerzijl, son of Jacob Barkema and Martje Beukema, and Antje van der Ploeg, 22, born in 't Zandt, daughter of Jan van der Ploeg and Trientje Wierenga, married on 28 September 1881 in Ulrum, province Groningen.
.
Jan Barkema, son of Jacob Barkema and Martje Beukema, was born on 7 January 1856 in Houwerzijl, municipality Ulrum, province Groningen.
.
Jacob Kornelis Barkema, 30, born in Ulrum, son of Kornelis Jacobs Barkema and Anje Sijgers Bos, and Martje Kornelis Beukema, 22, born in Ulrum, daughter of Kornelis Allerts Beukema and Jantje Jans Drolinga, married 18 January 1844 in Ulrum.

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Hi Laurel,
.
Names like De Voor, De Vor or De Voer are all possible. In 1710 surnames were not required in The Netherlands, though, so it is also possible your ancestor adopted a surname in the new world.
.
The name De Voor was already in use in New York in the 17th century: A child of David de Voor was baptized in the Collegiate Church of New York in 1662.
.
You have to find your immigrant ancestor, and trace him to the old world to find out what his name was there.

 
Blogger sandy said...

Oh thank you,thank you!!!! Although I'm disappointed that you couldn't find the meaning of Barkema, I'm thrilled to learn of the parents and grandparents of Jan Barkema :) Jan and Antje did use the names of parents etc. for their children just as I've read about, as they used Jacob, Martje (Martha?)and Cornelius,Anne for 4 of their ten children. We understand that there was a daughter that either died in the Netherlands or on the ship coming over, 'Little Martha" as my father in law's Aunt Martha said she was named after -but we now do not have any type of confirmation to know for sure. They emigrated in 1883 - is there anything you can find out? The other children's names were Jacob,Kate,Elizabeth,John -died young in Grand Rapids MI, and Cornelius. The rest are Henry,Frank,Martha and Anne. They settled in G.R. Jan Barkema was a cobbler apprentice (of his father) in the Netherlands and also here in G.R. and Holland. I was also curious to see that there are 'Kornelis' on both the parents sides of Jan Barkema. Is that common? Thank you so much for your help!!!

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Does anybody know where the surname holland derives from? i have irish and scotish heritage also my grandads whohas the name holland had a spanish mother. cheers

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

I don't know where the surname Holland originates, sorry. The name exists in several countries. I don't think it is related to the Holland region in The Netherlands.

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Sandy: There is a lot of information on the Genlias website, just search it for Barkema.
.
I found three children of Jan Barkema and Antje van der Ploeg: Jacob (17 December 1881), Trientje (23 December 1882), and Martje (9 February 1887).
.
The family arrived with all three children at Castle Garden on 31 October 1887 (source: Castle Garden website), so I assume "Little Martha" was still alive when they arrived.
.
Children of Jacob Barkema and Martje Beukema: Anje (23 April 1844, married Albert Bronkema in 1868), Kornelis (27 September 1846), Jantje (born 11 October 1849, died 4 November 1849), Jantje (8 September 1852, married Andries van Huis 1878, died 11 December 1889), Jan (7 January 1856, married Antje van der Ploeg 1881)

 
Blogger Laura said...

Does anyone know of a peasant named Stuijver that came to New Netherland
from Holland in 1664. He was placed on a bowerie near Albany NY. The name changed to Stevers along the way in Washington Co. NY. Any info would be cherished. Laura

 
Blogger ksuierveld said...

I am trying to determine the meaning of my last name Suierveld. I can't seem to find it anywhere. I know my grandfather Louis Suierveld was from Holland.

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

I found the name Suierveld in the province Friesland. The Meertens website that I mentioned above does not have a clear meaning of the name, but seems to suggest it is derived from Zuiderveld, wich means South Field. So maybe your ancestors lived near (or on) a field named South Field.

 
Blogger katy said...

I'm trying to figure out how Dutch names work, especially back in the late 1700's and earlier. In a lot of my lineage, many of the childrens' names do not line up with the fathers names. It's not a one time occurrence either, it is every generation! We have the last names:
Balk, Klaasens, Bulthuis, Jans ter Lip, Brondyke, Tel Pieters, Gaijkes, Ekkes, Buikema
We also have numerous first names we do not know such as:
Kornelske, Weike, Jacomina, Margien, Wijtske, Berentje, Bon, Hilbrand, and many more. Feel free to email me: katcoolman@gmail.com
Thank you so much!

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Kathy: Usually, surnames worked the same as now, and were passed on in the male line.

In some regions, patronymic names were used as surnames. The sons of Jan Klaassens would use the surname Jansens, and not Klaassens (Klaassens = son of Klaas, Jansens = son of Jan).

In a few rural areas in the east, people used the name of the farm they worked on as surname. If they moved (e.g. found a new job), their surname would change!

There were more reasons why people sometimes had multiple surnames. Some people had both a family name and a patronymic surname, for example.

 
Blogger Unknown said...

6293rtnerscMy brother in law's surname is Kicken. He has indicated to me that the family has also spelled it Kickken. I asked him what the name means and he indicated that "no one knows". He has lived in the United States for several decades but still has relatives in the Netherlands. He and I are both interested in the derivation of his name. Thank you for any assistance.

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

The surnames Kicken and Kickken are found in the province Limburg. The names are probably derived from the first name Kick.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am trying to trace our roots but all I get is a big zero. Can any one help me in tracing the origin of our surname Gepty or Geeft is Dutch or not. Because our family history was lost on the death of the family patriarch.Any help would be
appreciated. Thanks

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I am trying to trace our roots but all I get is a big zero. Can any one help me in tracing the origin of our surname Gepty or Geeft is Dutch or not. Because our family history was lost on the death of the family patriarch.Any help would be
appreciated. Thanks

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Those names are not Dutch. But it is of course possible that the names were changed after immigration into the new world.

I did find a Michiel Geeft in Amsterdam between 1766 and 1780, though in other records his name is spelled Geef.

 
Anonymous Greg said...

Hi, my grandparents' surnames were Ledeboer and de Gruijter which both come from the Netherlands, I'm told Ledeboer is a toponym with links to a place in Germany and de Gruijter is a professional name, related to brewing.

Neither seem to be too common, so I've had trouble tracing the links and would love to find out more.

Thanks!

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I was wondering if the Post last name has Dutch origins. A family member thought it came from Holland. Thanks!

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Greg, the names Ledeboer and De Gruijter are not too common, but they are not rare either. Are you trying to find out more about your grandparents, or are you looking for the meaning of the names?

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Post is a common name in the Netherlands, so your Post family may have its roots here in Holland.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi we are trying to find out if the name Klingsick is Dutch we were told that our grandmother had this last name

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

The name Klingsick is not Dutch. Whether it derived from a Dutch name I do not know.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Could you tell me the Dutch meaning of the name van Roode?

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Most likely, it means "from Roden", where Roden can be a Dutch town, or a short form of towns like Oedenrode or Schelderode. But Ro(o)de can also mean "red".

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm looking for the last name Nouwels. I can find the meaning or origin anywhere. Thanks!

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

hi. I am trying to determine the meaning of my family surname Zee and my Oma's maiden name Van den Akker? Thankyou.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Our ggggrandfather was William Kisner in the Mohawk Valley and an old writing states Catherine Kisner was the daughter of William Kisner of an old Dutch family. Is Kisner a Dutch name?

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Klingsick is German. May be originally spelled Klingsieck

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi �� I'll like to find the meaning and origin of the name Versprille.thanks

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

The meaning of Nouwels I can't find either.

"Zee" means sea, "Akker" means field. So the names (van der) Zee and van der Akker mean (from the) sea and from the field.

There is a Kisner family in the Dutch city Amersfoort, since at least the early 19th century and up to the present day. But I think the name is originally not Dutch. Maybe German.

The name Versprille is listed as a toponymic name in the Meertens database. -ver- is short for -van der-, meaning from the. But I have no idea what "sprille" could be. The name is found in the province Zeeland, on what is now the Dutch-Belgian border, in the 18th century. I expect the name originates on the Belgian side of the border.

 
Blogger Unknown said...

I'm replying back to the person with the name William Kisner and his daughter Catherine. I have the same descendents but I thought Catherine was William's wife. I would like to know where you found Dutch descent. I think it's a German surname. William Kisner born 3-26-1756 Tryron County, NY. Please reply back.

 
Blogger Unknown said...

I am trying to find the roots of an ancestor who came to America with HP Scholte in 1847. Unfortunately, I hit a road block there. His name was Teunis Verros and I am told that he was possibly excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church and changed his name. (supposedly Verros is not a Dutch name) I typed his name into WieWasWie and did pull up his name along with a mother named Pietertje Verros from Piershil. The DOB matches (2/25/1815) but that is where I hit the end of the road. I am relatively new to searching and definitely don't know any more Dutch than what the translate button on my computer can tell me :) If you can help me, his decendants here in Iowa would be greatly appreciative!

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

On 25 February 1815 Pietertje Verros, unmarried, 22 years old, a laboring woman, gave birth to a son Teunis. The birth was registered by Adrianus Verros, 59, laborer, in whose house in the municipality Piershil the boy was born. Source: Birth certificate of Teunis Verros.

Presumably Adrianus was the father of Pietertje. This is confirmed by the church books of the Dutch Reformed church of Piershil:

Adrianus Pietersz Verros, born and residing in Piershil, and Cornelia Buitendijk, born in Numansdorp and residing in Koorndijk, married in Piershil on 12 May 1788 (with banns on 26 April 1788).
Children: Maria (baptized 7 September 1788), Cornelia (25 April 1790), Pietertje (8 January 1792), Willempje (14 July 1793), Willem (20 September 1795) and Jannetje (19 December 1798).

Source: Church books of Piershil.

So, it seems that Teunis Verros was his real name (though the name Verros probably died out here in the Netherlands), and he was not catholic but protestant (Dutch Reformed).

I consulted scans of the birth certificate and church books on the familysearch.org website.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi could you please tell me about my surname it is Roling. I was told by my grandfather that his father and mother came from the hook of Holland and they were ship builders. Also the meaning

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

According to Meertens, Roling is an address name, so it refers to a place where your ancestors once lived. Unfortunately, there are no further details. The name is found in the Rotterdam/Den Haag region (which includes Hook of Holland, or Hoek van Holland in Dutch), and in the north of the country.

If you have more details about your grandfather and his parents we can try to find out where he came from.

 
Blogger Roy said...

I've researched but have found no clues to the meaning of my last name, Hilbelink. It is quite obviously Dutch and my ancestors came over early 1800s. If anyone has any ideas, including about the common ending of 'ink', i would appreciate hearing your insight. Thanks.

 
Blogger Unknown said...

Please could you tell me the meaning of Odendaal , I'm originally South African. My Ancestors are Dutch. I've heard many stories about my surname ranging from 'oden' .. over 'daal' valley/ hill as in Odendaal means over the hill to another theory that Odendaal is an Afrikaans adaption from Odenthaal village in Germany... please help me. Many thanks

 
Blogger Unknown said...

Could you please tell me the meaning of Odendaal. It's an Afrikaans surname originally Dutch from my Dutch ancestors. South Africa. Many thanks

 
Blogger Unknown said...

Hi. I live in Cape town, I have been told that my ancestors comes from Holland. Three brothers settled in Swellandam from Holland in the early 19th century. My surname is van der schyff was told it could have been van der sloot also some time back.

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

The name Hilbelink was mostly found in and around the village Aalten, prov. Gelderland. The origin may have been a farm with the same name, where your ancestors once lived.

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

I found the name Odendaal mostly in the city Arnhem, prov. Gelderland. There are also several Odendaals in the VOC archives, mostly in the 18th century. According to the Meertens database it's a toponymic name, i.e. derived from a place. I don't know which place, though. The suffix -daal may mean valley, probably a river (or brook) valley.

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Van der Schijf(f) and Van der Sloot are both Dutch surnames. Do you have more information on your ancestor who settled in SA?

 
Blogger Roy said...

Henk, thank you so much for what you do here, that's first clue I've had to my last name. When one has a name that is so unique like 'Hilbelink' compared to say 'Johnson', one knows there has to be more to its origin. Can you suggest any additional resources for me to investigate further?

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Hi Roy,

The best way to research the origin of your name is to trace your line back, until the first ancestors that used the family name. Then start researching that family, and/or the village where they lived in that time. Once you're researching the very first Hilbelink, there may well be a local historical society that can help, and/or is interested in your research.

 
Blogger Unknown said...

My name is Craig Kamp. I am told by my history teacher that it is a branch off of VandeKamp. But websites tell me it is branched from Greek Kamposou. Or Italian Kamposi. Thoughts?

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

Craig,

Both Kamp and Van de Kamp can be found here in the Netherlands. If you want to find out if you have Dutch roots you will have to trace your line back until you hit on an immigrant ancestor.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I have Tried to find out where my husbands name is from. His father immigrated to canada from holland. Last name is kuit but nothing can be found. It is believed that hitler gave them their name when he invaided holland. Can anyone help? Thank you!

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

The names Kuit, Kuyt and Kuijt already existed in the 17th century, probably even before.

You can probably find out more on your husband's ancestors on https://www.wiewaswie.nl/, the largest database of Dutch genealogical records.

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Anyone know anything about the surname Aantjes? It appears to be quite uncommon and difficult to look into.

 
Anonymous Cory said...

Does anyone know any information on the surname Aantjes? or where I can find my family crest etc?

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hi, my name is Sanne Westera and the name Westera started in the Netherlands at a place colled Kampen.The name means west of the river ( a was a old dutch word for river) there are many changes in the family name, like westeraa or westra. I think distand relatives played a part by building the irish gouverment.I was searching for some family history and found this blog. I hope this information will help you in your search.

 
Blogger A - said...

Pothoven most likely comes from Potoven. A potoven is a pot-furnace.:)


 
Blogger Unknown said...

Henk

My name is Charles Stolk and 69 years old. My great- great grand father and 2 brothers emigrated to South Africa I think in the early 1800s.

What I after is a copy of fhoto of the Stolk Coat of Arms.

It would by highly appreciated.

Sincere

Charles

 
Blogger Unknown said...

Henk

My name is Charles Stolk and 69 years old. My great- great grand father and 2 brothers emigrated to South Africa I think in the early 1800s.

What I after is a copy of fhoto of the Stolk Coat of Arms.

It would by highly appreciated.

Sincere

Charles

 
Anonymous Ellie said...

Cory, I've looked up some possible origins or starting points for research for Aantjes. It appears that Aantje is a dimunitive form of Anna in the Netherlands and northern France, at least for a first name, but as for surnames specifically, resources or much more scarce.

 
Blogger Henk van Kampen said...

@Charles: Not every family had a coat of arms, and there could also be multiple coats for the same surname.

You can search http://cbgfamiliewapens.nl/ and search for Stolk, you'll find several coats and seals. But I don't know if any of them belonged to your ancestors, you'll have to do some research to find out.

 
Blogger Unknown said...

I've been trying for more than 40 years to find the origin of my surname SUERDIECK. Some have said Holland but with no specifics or explanations. The family has been accurately traced to northern Germany in about 1800. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

 
Blogger Unknown said...

I'm trying to find coat of arms information for surname WILLIAMS. My mom says she has ancestors from the Dutch. Any direction to obtain the image of coat of arms would be really helpful, thank you.

 
Blogger Sunnie said...

Hi. Not sure if this blog is still active. My father is a descent with Dutch roots. Our family has completed an extensive family tree but my older family members have died and i have not been able to clarify the origination if our last name. I’ve heard von Hillman and Holomon as our Dutch name changed to Hillman in the 1700’s. First, are these Dutch names and second, was it normal for immigrants to change their name?lastly, what do the names mean? Thank you!

 
Blogger Unknown said...

Van means from

 
Anonymous John Van Hof said...

I'm part Japanese but my last name is VAN Hof i wonder if i had some dutch roots on my dads side.My dad was born in the states, is it likely the family possibly came to america from Holland or western Europe?

 
Blogger Unknown said...

Hallo

I've been trying to do some reseach on the origins of my family name, van Taak the Afrikaans verson of van Taack or van Taeck which came about after my ancestors moved to South Africa. But I keep on comming to a dead end with no real information other than that it's from the Netherlands, either Doetinchem or Overijssel records aren't very clear on that.

Any bit of information would help a lot

 
Blogger AubyGoodwin said...

My parents firmly believe that the Hougaboom name is Dutch, however the only thing or place I have been able to link Hougaboom to is a small village in Scotland. Does anyone know if the name may have started as Dutch and somehow made it's way to Scotland or are my parents just incorrect? Any help would be appreciated.

 
Anonymous J. Olsder said...

I have a very unique surname from my Dutch family and I'd love to know the origins of the name. My surname is Olsder.
According to expatica- 'The defining moment came on 18 August 1811 when Napoleon Boneparte — whose French army were occupying the Netherlands — signed a decree establishing a registry of births, deaths and marriages.' This is known as the civil status. (Population registration system that has been used throughout the Netherlands since 1811. Consists of birth, marriage and death certificates)
The thing is the Olsder name in our records goes back to 1750. This means that it was in use already before French occupation. We don't have any records further back than 1750, but I have found records of people with the surname Olsder in Norway as early as the 17th century. Whether or not this is connected I don't know. Does anyone know anything about this surname or possible origins?

 
Blogger Paul van der Wel said...

I'm wondering if you know what the meaning of the surname, van der Wel.
Thanks so much. Paul

 
Blogger Unknown said...

Ancestor Guisbert Van Kampen moved away from Minisinks area 1757 during French and Indian War era. Son was Gilbert or Gilbird who lived in N.J. and served in N.J. Militia during the War.

 
Blogger StrykerGirl said...

My surname is also Strijker and my grandfather is from Groningen!

 

Post a Comment

<< Home