Skip to content
Home » European names » Dutch baby names

Dutch baby names

Dutch baby names are a beautiful mix of simplicity, tradition, and international influence. Many names are short—just three or four letters—and reflect Biblical, Germanic, or Latin roots. Parents in the Netherlands tend to choose practical names that are easy to pronounce and spell, often with rich historical or family significance.

Each year, the Dutch government publishes an official list of the most popular baby names based on new birth registrations. This list is managed by the Sociale Verzekeringsbank (SVB). The rankings below are based on the most recent data.

If you’re also exploring name trends across the continent, check out our European baby names overview.

Top 100 Dutch boy names with meaning

Top 100 Dutch boy names
Top 100 Dutch boy names
RankNameMeaning or origin
1NoahHebrew, “rest” or “comfort”
2LucaLatin/Italian, “light”
3LiamIrish, “strong-willed protector”
4SemDutch, from Shem, “renown”
5LeviHebrew, “joined” or “attached”
6JamesEnglish form of Jacob, “supplanter”
7FinnIrish, “fair” or “white”
8MilanSlavic, “gracious” or “dear”
9LucasLatin, “bringer of light”
10DaanDutch for Daniel, “God is my judge”
11AdamHebrew, “man” or “earth”
12EliasHebrew, “Yahweh is my God”
13MeesDutch, possibly from Bartholomeus
14MaxLatin, “greatest”
15BenjaminHebrew, “son of the right hand”
16JulianLatin, “youthful”
17MasonEnglish, “stone worker”
18SamHebrew, “God has heard”
19MohamedArabic, “praised”
20NoudDutch, short for Arnold, “eagle power”
21JackEnglish, “God is gracious”
22JesseHebrew, “gift”
23JaydenModern, meaning uncertain
24OlivierFrench, “olive tree”
25BoazHebrew, “strength”
26BramDutch, from Abraham, “father of many”
27ThomasAramaic, “twin”
28JoepDutch, from Joseph, “God will add”
29TijnDutch, short for Martijn
30SennModern Dutch name
31DavidHebrew, “beloved”
32BeauFrench, “handsome”
33SiemDutch, from Simon, “he has heard”
34MorrisLatin, “dark-skinned”
35CasperPersian, “treasurer”
36RoanGaelic/Dutch, “red-haired”
37GijsDutch, short for Gijsbert, “bright pledge”
38JensScandinavian, “God is gracious”
39JaxModern, short form of Jackson
40AdamHebrew, “man”
41RyanIrish, “little king”
42TygoDutch/Greek, “luck” or “fortune”
43DaniëlHebrew, “God is my judge”
44EzraHebrew, “help”
45AbelHebrew, “breath”
46OwenWelsh, “young warrior”
47MikaHebrew, “who is like God”
48ThijsDutch, short for Matthijs
49VicLatin, “conqueror”
50RubenHebrew, “behold, a son”
51FlorisLatin, “flower”
52HugoGermanic, “mind” or “spirit”
53VinceLatin, “to conquer”
54LexGreek, short for Alexander
55EzraHebrew, “helper”
56JonahHebrew, “dove”
57LeviHebrew, “joined”
58StijnDutch, from Augustijn
59CasperPersian, “treasurer”
60KaiHawaiian, “sea” or Frisian, “keeper of the earth”
61NoahHebrew, “rest”
62DeanEnglish, “valley”
63DylanoDutch form of Dylan, “son of the sea”
64JesseHebrew, “gift”
65TygoDutch, “luck”
66PepijnDutch, “steadfast”
67TeunShort for Antonius
68JelteFrisian, “payment” or “reward”
69WillemGermanic, “resolute protector”
70MaesModern, meaning unclear
71JorisDutch form of George, “farmer”
72JaceEnglish, “healer”
73LennShort form of Lennart
74RafDutch short form of Rafael
75HugoGermanic, “spirit”
76LeviHebrew, “joined”
77DeanEnglish, “valley”
78OtisGerman, “wealth”
79MilanSlavic, “dear”
80SilShort for Silvester
81AbelHebrew, “breath”
82NathanHebrew, “he gave”
83DaanDutch for Daniel
84TiesShort for Matthijs
85FeddeFrisian, “peace”
86CasperPersian, “treasurer”
87MelleFrisian, “helmet”
88JensDanish, “God is gracious”
89TychoGreek, “hitting the mark”
90OscarOld Norse, “God spear”
91FelixLatin, “lucky” or “happy”
92BeerDutch, “bear”
93ToonShort for Antonius
94MickShort form of Mickael
95OlafNorse, “ancestor’s relic”
96MauritsLatin, “dark-skinned”
97HiddeFrisian, “battle”
98KyanModern, meaning uncertain
99JesseHebrew, “gift”
100BasShort for Sebastiaan

Top 100 Dutch girl names with meaning

Top 100 Dutch girl names
Top 100 Dutch girl names
RankNameMeaning or origin
1EmmaGermanic, “whole” or “universal”
2JuliaLatin, “youthful”
3MilaSlavic, “gracious” or “dear”
4SophieGreek, “wisdom”
5OliviaLatin, “olive tree”
6NoraLatin/Greek, “light” or “honor”
7YaraArabic/Brazilian, “small butterfly”
8TessShort for Theresa, “harvest”
9SaraHebrew, “princess”
10NoorArabic/Dutch, “light”
11ZoëGreek, “life”
12EvaHebrew, “life”
13LinaMultiple origins, often “light” or “tender”
14AnnaHebrew, “grace”
15EviDutch spelling of Evie, “life”
16LaurenLatin, “from Laurentum”
17ElinScandinavian, “light”
18LivNordic, “life”
19AmiraArabic, “princess”
20FleurFrench, “flower”
21LotteGermanic, “free woman”
22LiekeDutch, “angelic”
23MaudGermanic, “power in battle”
24IsaHebrew, “God is my oath”
25HaileyEnglish, “hay meadow”
26BoDutch/Scandinavian, unisex, “to live”
27EsmeeFrench, “beloved”
28MilaSlavic, “gracious”
29JadeSpanish/English, “green gem”
30FienDutch, short for Josephine
31LiviaLatin, “blue” or “envious”
32IndyShort for Indigo or Indiana
33MilouDutch/French blend, “gracious warrior”
34AmyFrench, “beloved”
35LoisGreek, “most desirable”
36CharlieUnisex, short for Charlotte or Charles
37NinaMultiple origins, “dream” or “fire”
38ZoëGreek, “life”
39EvaHebrew, “life”
40RoosDutch, “rose”
41NoorDutch, “light”
42PuckDutch, gender-neutral, whimsical
43NovaLatin, “new”
44OliviaLatin, “olive tree”
45RomyLatin, “dew of the sea”
46ElinScandinavian, “light”
47LindeDutch, “linden tree”
48JunaLatin, possibly “youth”
49BenteDutch, short for Benedicta
50SkylarEnglish, “scholar”
51NoaHebrew, “motion”
52SanneDutch, from Susanna, “lily”
53MilaSlavic, “gracious”
54VeerleDutch, “travel to battle”
55OliviaLatin, “olive tree”
56ZoëGreek, “life”
57FayEnglish/French, “fairy”
58FennaFrisian, “peace”
59EsraHebrew, “helper”
60SaarDutch short for Sara
61JulieLatin, “youthful”
62ElifTurkish, “slender”
63EmilyLatin, “rival”
64LunaLatin, “moon”
65LizaHebrew, “God is my oath”
66JasmijnDutch, “jasmine flower”
67SophieGreek, “wisdom”
68IsaShort for Isabella or Isabel
69NoorArabic/Dutch, “light”
70MayEnglish, “the month May” or “beloved”
71LotDutch short for Charlotte
72ElizaHebrew, “God is my oath”
73AylaTurkish, “moonlight”
74JuulDutch, short for Julia
75AnneHebrew, “grace”
76TessShort for Theresa
77JinteFrisian, meaning unclear
78LivaScandinavian, “life”
79FilouFrench/Dutch, playful nickname
80Noor“Light”
81KikiFrench, nickname-style name
82RobinUnisex, “bright fame”
83NolaIrish, “white shoulder”
84OliviaLatin, “olive tree”
85FemkeFrisian, “peace”
86YfkeFrisian, “bowman”
87BelleFrench, “beautiful”
88CelesteLatin, “heavenly”
89MilaSlavic, “gracious”
90NoorDutch, “light”
91LivNordic, “life”
92FenneFrisian, “peace”
93MaraHebrew, “bitter” or “strength”
94IlseGermanic, “God is my oath”
95LouaDutch, modern creation
96NorahVariant of Nora
97LumaModern, “light”
98TessShort for Theresa
99MyrtheDutch, “myrtle tree”
100JunaLatin, “queen of the heavens”

Top 20 traditional or old-school Dutch names

These names were especially common in the 19th and 20th centuries. Many are still used today, often to honor grandparents or maintain a family tradition.

Traditional Dutch boy names with meaning

  1. Jan – Dutch form of John, “God is gracious”
  2. Willem – “Resolute protector”
  3. Hendrik – “Home ruler”
  4. Dirk – “Ruler of the people”
  5. Cornelis – From Latin cornu, meaning “horn”
  6. Arie – Short form of Adriaan, “from Hadria”
  7. Klaas – From Nicholas, “victory of the people”
  8. Joost – Latin origin, “just” or “righteous”
  9. Gijsbert – “Bright pledge”
  10. Pieter – Dutch form of Peter, “rock”

Traditional Dutch girl names with meaning

  1. Johanna – Feminine form of Johan, “God is gracious”
  2. Trijntje – Diminutive of Catharina, “pure”
  3. Hendrika – Feminine of Hendrik, “home ruler”
  4. Mien – Diminutive of Wilhelmina, “resolute protector”
  5. Grietje – Diminutive of Margaretha, “pearl”
  6. Neeltje – Feminine of Cornelis, “horn”
  7. Tineke – Diminutive of Martina, “of Mars”
  8. Lien – From Caroline or Paulien, “free woman”
  9. Riet – Diminutive of Margriet, “pearl”
  10. Wilhelmina – “Resolute protector”

Top 20 Dutch pet names with fun meaning

These names are often used for cats, dogs, and bunnies, but also show up as cute nicknames for kids.

NameMeaning / Notes
Boef“Little rascal” or “bandit”
PukPlayful, gender-neutral name
PipShort, sweet, and peppy
DobbyFrom the loyal house-elf in Harry Potter
GuusjeDiminutive of Guus, “revered”
SnufFrom classic children’s book Snuf de Hond
MoppieDutch for “sweetie” or “cutie”
Tijgertje“Little tiger” – for energetic pets
LoesjeFriendly version of Loes
FritsRetro human-style name, often used for pets
SammieDiminutive of Sam
BellaItalian, “beautiful”
KeesjeSmall and sweet version of Kees
WoezelFrom Woezel & Pip, a popular Dutch kids’ series
PebblesFrom The Flintstones – cheerful and fun
MausDutch for “mouse”, cute for timid animals
BinkieMeans “tough little guy” in Dutch slang
VlinderDutch for “butterfly”
KnuffelMeans “hug” or “cuddle”
FlappieFamous rabbit name from a Dutch Christmas song

Wrapping up: short, strong, and full of character

Whether you’re drawn to timeless classics like Jan and Emma, or charmed by modern favorites like Mila, Noah, Luca, or Yara, Dutch names offer something for everyone. They are often short, international, and packed with meaning—perfect for a multicultural world.

Fun facts about Dutch baby names:

  • Most top names are just 3 to 5 letters long.
  • Diminutives like Guusje, Mees, and Fien are frequently given as official first names.
  • It’s still common to name children after grandparents, keeping traditional names alive.
  • Names like Emma, Noah, and Daan have stayed in the top 10 for over a decade.
  • Many names are gender-neutral or can be shortened with an affectionate suffix like -je or -ke.

Still looking for the perfect baby name? Explore even more international and regional ideas at Name Library your complete resource for baby names with meaning.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *