Surname van der Straaten - Meaning and Origin
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van der Straaten: What does the surname van der Straaten mean?
The last name van der Straaten is a Dutch patronymic surname derived from the Dutch name Straat, meaning ‘street’. It is an occupational name referring to someone that lived near or worked in the street. The addition of ‘van’ in front of the name indicates that the family is descended from someone originally from or associated with the street. The Dutch surname can be translated into “from the street”.
The van der Straaten family has its origins in the Dutch regions of Zeeland, Flanders and Brabant in the early Middle Ages. It is believed that the first members of this family originated in the city of Antwerp, where records of the name have been found as early as the 16th century. The last name is common in the Netherlands, Belgium and surrounding countries, but it is also found in other parts of the world, including the United States, Canada, Australia and South America.
This surname has adopted various spellings over the centuries, such as Van straaten, Van Erstraeten, Van der Straaten, Vandenstraten, Vandestraeten, van der Straten, and vander Straten. The name is a distinctive mark of Dutch and Belgian ancestry and is used as a part of one’s identity. It has become a defining part of many Dutch and Belgian family histories.
Order DNA origin analysisvan der Straaten: Where does the name van der Straaten come from?
The last name van der Straaten is a Dutch surname, so it is much more commonly found in areas of the world where Dutch culture and language are prevalent. This includes the Netherlands, Belgium, South Africa, and parts of the United States that have significant Dutch-American populations.
The Netherlands is obviously the location most likely to have the largest number of people with the last name van der Straaten due to its historically Dutch majority ethnic and cultural background. Then, Belgium has a significant population of Dutch speakers who identify as Belgian due to the region’s history of union with the Netherlands and its unique political status.
South Africa is another place where the last name is fairly common, given the country’s strong Dutch roots. Dutch settlers, known as Boers, came to South Africa in the mid-17th century and made up the bulk of the settlement until the early 18th century. This resulted in South Africa having a large Dutch-speaking population today, and a significant number of Dutch last names, including van der Straaten.
Finally, in the United States, the last name van der Straaten is primarily found in states such as Michigan, Iowa, Minnesota, and Illinois, which tend to have significant Dutch-American communities. These states have long histories of Dutch settlement, and many Dutch-Americans still cling to their Dutch roots and culture today, passing on names like van der Straaten to generations of their descendants.
Variations of the surname van der Straaten
Van der Straaten is a patronymic Dutch surname meaning "son of Straat". The English equivalent is "of Street" and is often associated with Dutch people and their descendants. It is one of the most common surnames in the Netherlands. Although the name is most frequently found in the Netherlands, it has also spread to other countries, including Belgium, Germany and the United States.
Variants of van der Straaten include Vanderstraeten, Straaten, Straeten, Straaten and Straat. Spellings of the name may include van der Straaten, Vanderstraeten, vanderStraate, Vandstraete, van der Straato, van der Straete, van der Straaten, Vandersrate, Vandersrateen and VancleveStraat.
Surnames with similar origins include Van Straat, Vastraat, Van Strate, VanStrate, Van Strijt, VanStrict, Vanstrom, Verstraete, Verstrate, Voorstrat, Verslype, Vastraatte and Verstraten. All these surnames are derived from Straat or Strate and date back to the age of Dutch colonization.
In some areas, particularly in Belgium and the United States, the name has been anglicized to Straaten or Street. This anglicized spelling may also be a variation of ‘Van der Straaten’ or ‘Vanderstraeten’, and those who bear it may still have Dutch ancestry.
Thus, van der Straaten is a popular Dutch surname with many variants and spellings throughout the world, reflecting the diaspora of the Dutch people.
Famous people with the name van der Straaten
- Rens van der Straaten: Dutch football defender who plays for Morsi SC
- Yannick van der Straaten: Dutch professional footballer who plays for FC Groningen
- Niels van der Straaten: Dutch professional footballer and former manager of Dutch amateur team JVC Cuijk
- Wilfred van der Straaten: Dutch musician, composer, sound engineer and violinist
- Maraike van der Straaten: Dutch rower, won gold medal for women’s lightweight double sculls at 2012 Olympics
- Carlijn van der Straaten: Dutch professional parallel bars gymnast, placed fourth in 2016 Rio Olympics
- Elly van der Straaten: Dutch sprinter who competed in the 1971 European Championships
- Bert van der Straaten: Dutch fencer who won a bronze medal at the 1972 Summer Olympics
- Bart van der Straaten: Dutch linguist, professor of Dutch language and literature at the University of Leiden
- Karel van der Straaten: Dutch biologist, aquatologist and freshwater ecologist, former professor at Utrecht University