Dutch names and surnames: van, de, capitals and spelling

Dutch surnames often come with little extra words in front: van, de, van der, ten. They make names like Van Dijk, De Vries and Van den Berg some of the most common in the country. They also come with spelling rules that confuse almost every newcomer — and quite a few Dutch people. Here's how it all works.

Name vocabulary

Forms, offices and receptionists use these words all the time.

Roepnaam is worth knowing. Many Dutch people have several official first names, but they go by just one, sometimes a short form. Someone officially called Johannes Hendrikus might have the roepnaam Hans and the voorletters J.H. Official letters are often addressed with initials only.

• Wat is uw achternaam? — What is your surname?
• Mijn voornaam is Sarah, mijn achternaam is Brown. — My first name is Sarah, my surname is Brown.
• Hoe heet je? — What's your name? (informal)

What is a tussenvoegsel?

A tussenvoegsel ("in-between word") is a small word like van (of, from), de (the), der or den (old forms of "the"), ten or ter (old forms of "at the"), or 't (the). They often combine: van der, van den, van de, in 't, op de.

Many Dutch forms have a separate box for the tussenvoegsel, between first name and surname. If your name has no such word — most foreign names don't — just leave that box empty.

Capital or small letter?

This is the rule that catches everyone. In the Netherlands, the tussenvoegsel is written:

• with a small letter when a first name or initial comes before it
• with a capital letter when the surname stands without a first name or initial

• Ik heb een afspraak met Jan van Dijk. — I have an appointment with Jan van Dijk.
• Van Dijk is vandaag niet op kantoor. — Van Dijk isn't in the office today.
• Goedemorgen, meneer Van Dijk. — Good morning, Mr Van Dijk.

Only the first word of a group gets the capital: meneer Van der Meer, mevrouw Van den Berg.

• Wrong: meneer van Dijk (because there's no first name or initial before it)
• Wrong: Jan Van Dijk (in the Netherlands, after a first name it's lowercase)
• Wrong: meneer Van Der Meer (only the first word gets a capital)

Two notes. First, this is the standard Netherlands rule; in Belgium, names are written as they appear in the official register, so Flemish names often keep a capital everywhere. Second, people sometimes have personal preferences, so if someone writes their own name differently, follow them.

Married people in the Netherlands officially keep their own surname, but many choose to use their partner's name too, often joined with a hyphen: mevrouw Jansen-de Vries. After the hyphen, the tussenvoegsel is usually written in lowercase. The options and how to register them are explained by your municipality.

Alphabetical order: look under the main part

In the Netherlands, names with a tussenvoegsel are usually sorted under the main part of the surname, not under van or de. So Jan van Dijk is found under D, and Kees van der Meer under M. In a list it often looks like this:

• Dijk, Jan van
• Meer, Kees van der
• Vries, Anna de

This matters at doctors' practices, in school lists, and when you're looking for a name on a row of doorbells. Not every computer system follows the rule, though, and in Belgium names are generally sorted under the first word (Van Damme under V). If you can't find a name, check both places.

• Staat hij onder de V of onder de D? — Is he under V or under D?

Addressing people

Formal. Use meneer (Mr) or mevrouw (Mrs/Ms) + surname. Mevrouw is used for all women, whatever their marital status.

• Goedemiddag, mevrouw De Vries. — Good afternoon, Ms De Vries.
• Meneer Van der Meer? U mag binnenkomen. — Mr Van der Meer? You can come in.

In writing, the formal versions are de heer and mevrouw, and a formal letter starts with Geachte:

• Geachte heer Van Dijk, — Dear Mr Van Dijk,
• Geachte mevrouw De Vries, — Dear Ms De Vries,

Informal. Dutch people move to first names quickly, at work too. An email to a colleague or a teacher usually starts with Beste + first name:

• Beste Jan, — Dear Jan,
• Hoi Anna, — Hi Anna,

Beste + full name is a neutral choice when you're not sure: Beste Jan van Dijk,. And if someone says Zeg maar Jan, they're inviting you to use their first name (and usually je instead of u). See formal and informal you and writing emails in Dutch.

Spelling your name on the phone

On the phone you'll often need to spell your name. First, check how Dutch letters sound — some differ from English. The tricky ones: a sounds like "ah", e like "ay", i like "ee", j is "yay", g is a throaty "khay", and u has no English equivalent. Our post on the Dutch alphabet has them all.

Useful phrases:

• Kunt u dat spellen? — Could you spell that?
• Hoe schrijf je dat? — How do you write that?
• Ik spel het even: B-R-O-W-N. — Let me spell it: B-R-O-W-N.
• Met een hoofdletter. — With a capital letter.
• Met een kleine letter. — With a small letter.
• Met dubbel o. — With a double o.
• Met een streepje ertussen. — With a hyphen in between.
• Is dat met een lange ij of een korte ei? — Is that with ij or ei?
• Op naam van Brown. — In the name of Brown.

That last question is very Dutch: ij and ei sound the same, so people say lange ij ("long ij") and korte ei ("short ei") to tell them apart. The letter y is often called Griekse ij ("Greek ij").

To avoid confusion between letters like B, D and P, people use words: D van Dirk — D as in Dirk. There is a traditional Dutch spelling alphabet, but in practice people often just pick any well-known word or city.

• Brown: B van Bernard, R van Rudolf, O van Otto, W van Willem, N van Nico.

When Dutch people answer the phone, they often say met + their name: Met Anna de Vries or simply Met Anna ("Anna speaking"). You can do the same.

Quick summary

• Tussenvoegsels are words like van, de, van der, ten, ter before a surname.
• Small letter after a first name or initial: Jan van Dijk, J. van Dijk.
• Capital letter without one: meneer Van Dijk, Van Dijk zegt… Only the first word: Van der Meer.
• In the Netherlands, names are usually sorted under the main part: van Dijk under D.
• Formal: meneer/mevrouw + surname, Geachte heer/mevrouw…; informal: Beste Jan.
• On the phone: Kunt u dat spellen?, D van Dirk, lange ij vs korte ei.

Practise it

Introduce yourself in Introductions, practise spelling and calling in On the phone, and fill in forms at the municipality.