The Database of Surnames in the Netherlands presents the 300.000 surnames of all persons with the Dutch
nationality, who lived in the Netherlands in the year 2007. Also included are about 120.000 family
names registered at the census from 1947. Besides frequencies and geographic distribution maps, additional
information about the meaning, composition and history can be found for many names. The names are
hierarchically interconnected on the basis of spelling, meaning and frequency.
The Database of Surnames has been developed by the Centre of Onomastics of the Meertens Instituut in
Amsterdam. On the 1th of January 2012 the database was handed over to the Central Bureau of Genealogy in
The Hague where development, documentation and services will be continued.
