Continental Germanic
Dutch family heritage
The German-speaking peoples of the continent — and, in time, Dutch and the rest of the West Germanic branch.
Clan Rising is the living atlas of European family heritage, built one people at a time. Dutch heritage is now on the map — the meaning of your surname, the homeland it came from, and the stories that travelled with it into the diaspora.
On the map
Where Dutch heritage sits in Europe
This is the homeland on the modern map. The names below already file here; the heritage regions that subdivide it, and the deeper map, are coming next.
Dutch names already in the atlas
- De Jong'The young one' — the commonest name in the Netherlands.
- De Vries'The Frisian' — a man from the northern coast.
- JansenSon of Jan — son of the Dutch Everyman.
- Van DijkOf the dike — the wall against the sea.
- BakkerThe baker — a guild trade of the towns.
- VisserThe fisherman — herring was the Dutch gold.
- SmitThe smith — Smith and Schmidt's Dutch cousin.
- MeijerThe estate-steward — and a Dutch-Jewish name.
- De BoerThe farmer — and the root of 'Boer'.
- MulderThe miller — and the windmill was Dutch power itself.
- Van den BergOf the 'mountain' — the highest ground in a flat land.
- Vos'The fox' — for the red-haired and the sly.
- DekkerThe thatcher — the man who covered the roof.
Explore With Your Ancestors · Beta
Explore with your ancestorsWalk in →
Pick your name, pick any year from 500 to 1945, and land anywhere on earth — the old country, or the road out of it. The chronicler sets the scene; the deeds are yours.