Katana VentraIP

Dutch people

The Dutch (Dutch: Nederlanders) are an ethnic group native to the Netherlands. They share a common ancestral and cultural heritage and speak the Dutch language. Dutch people and their descendants are found in migrant communities worldwide, notably in Aruba, Suriname, Guyana, Curaçao, Argentina, Brazil, Canada,[27] Australia,[28] South Africa,[29] New Zealand and the United States.[30] The Low Countries were situated around the border of France and the Holy Roman Empire, forming a part of their respective peripheries and the various territories of which they consisted had become virtually autonomous by the 13th century.[31] Under the Habsburgs, the Netherlands were organised into a single administrative unit, and in the 16th and 17th centuries the Northern Netherlands gained independence from Spain as the Dutch Republic.[32] The high degree of urbanisation characteristic of Dutch society was attained at a relatively early date.[33] During the Republic the first series of large-scale Dutch migrations outside of Europe took place.

"The Dutch" redirects here. For other uses, see Dutch (disambiguation).

Nederlanders

The traditional arts and culture of the Dutch encompasses various forms of traditional music, dances, architectural styles and clothing, some of which are globally recognisable. Internationally, Dutch painters such as Rembrandt, Vermeer and Van Gogh are held in high regard. The predominant religion among the Dutch is Christianity, encompassing both Catholicism and Protestantism. However, in contemporary times, the majority no longer adhere to a particular Christian denomination. Significant percentages of the Dutch are adherents of humanism, agnosticism, atheism or individual spirituality.[34][35][36]

; the name is based on the personal name of the father of the bearer. Historically this has been by far the most dominant form. These type of names fluctuated in form as the surname was not constant. If a man called Willem Janssen (William, John's son) had a son named Jacob, he would be known as Jacob Willemsen (Jacob, Williams' son). Following civil registry, the form at time of registry became permanent. Hence today many Dutch people are named after ancestors living in the early 19th century when civil registry was introduced to the Low Countries. These names rarely feature tussenvoegsels. Similar to English names like Johnson.

Patronymic surnames

; the name is based on the location on which the bearer lives or lived. In Dutch this form of surname nearly always includes one or several tussenvoegsels, mainly van, van de and variants where van is translated as from. Many emigrants removed the spacing and capitalised these words, leading to derived names for well-known people like Cornelius Vanderbilt.[78] Van translated as of (Dutch language does not distinguish between "of" and "from" both indicated by "van"), Dutch surnames can sometimes refer to upper class or aristocratic titles (e.g. William, Prince of Orange). However, in Dutch van mostly reflects the place of origin of the family and not any aristocratic claim to a holding (Van der Bilt – one who comes from De Bilt).[79]

Toponymic surnames

; the name is based on the occupation of the bearer. Well known examples include Molenaar, Visser and Smit. This practice is similar to English surnames (the example names translate perfectly to Miller, Fisher and Smith).[80]

Occupational surnames

; based on nicknames relating to physical appearance or other features, on the appearance or character of the bearer (at least at the time of registration). For example De Lange ('the tall one'), De Groot ('the big one'), De Dappere ('the brave').

Cognominal surnames

Other surnames may relate to animals. For example; De Leeuw ('The Lion'), Vogels ('Birds'), Koekkoek ('Cuckoo') and Devalck ('The Falcon'); to a desired social status; e.g., Prins ('Prince'), De Koninck/Koning ('King'), De Keyzer/Keizer ('Emperor'); or to colour; e.g. Rood ('red'), Blauw/Blaauw ('blue'), De Wit ('the white'). There is also a set of made up or descriptive names; e.g. Naaktgeboren ('born naked').

Afrikaner

Dutch Brazil

Dutch Chilean

Dutch Mexicans

Dutch customs and etiquette

Dutch Surinamese

Flemish people

List of Dutch people

List of Germanic peoples

Netherlands (terminology)

Netherlands Antilles

New Netherlands

Dutch American

Dutch cuisine

Dutch culture

Quotations related to Dutch people at Wikiquote