Surname Geerdink - Meaning and Origin

Geerdink: What does the surname Geerdink mean?

The last name Geerdink is of Dutch origin and dates back to at least the 1600s. It is derived from the Germanic name Gœthar, where 'Geer' is a short form of the name. The 'dink' suffix is believed to be connected to a dialect name for a shallow stream or small brook.

The literal meaning of the surname is ‘dweller by the little stream', indicating an ancestral origin near a stream in the Dutch landscape. Historically, these locations were often near the home of a small farmer as streams provided water for livestock, drinking, and irrigation.

Today, the surname Geerdink is a relatively common family name in the Netherlands, with large numbers in the province of Flevoland. It is also a popular name among Dutch emigrant populations in North and South America, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa.

Variations of the Geerdink surname include Geerdinck, Geerding, Geerdincks, de Geerding, De Geerdingen, and Geerdinsky. Some name holders also add the particle 'van' before the surname.

While the name Geerdink has no obvious coat of arms or family crest, it is well established as a distinctive Dutch last name with a long heritage in the Netherlands and other Dutch-speaking countries

Geerdink: Where does the name Geerdink come from?

The last name Geerdink is most commonly found in the Netherlands, where it has a long and distinguished history. The earliest records of the Geerdink surname date back to the 1500s in the Gelderland province, which is in the eastern part of the country.

The primary provinces where the name is found today are Gelderland, Overijssel, and Utrecht, though it is also occasionally encountered in the northern provinces of North-Holland and Friesland.

The name is most frequent in the rural central province of Gelderland, where more than 40 percent of all Geerdinks live. The city of Harderwijk in Gelderland is particularly significant for the family, as it was mentioned in early documents as home to many Geerdink families.

The Geerdink family is a prominent one in the Netherlands. Notable members of the family include Suzanne Geerdink, a conservationist who was part of the first expedition to the island of Sint Maarten in the Caribbean, and one of the first women to fly an airplane.

Outside of the country, the name is rare, though there are a few Geerdink families living in the United States, Belgium, Germany, Australia, and Canada. The Geerdink surname is known for its strong connection to the Netherlands, and the distinctive spelling helps to easily identify someone as a member of the family.

Variations of the surname Geerdink

Geerdink is a Dutch surname of Germanic origin. Variants of the name include Gerdink, Gerardink, Gerdinck, Geurink, Gerding, Gjerding, Gerden, Gereinck, Gerdink, Gerdinkx, Geerding, Gering, Gernink, Giering, Gerdingen, Geerdingen and Gerdunk.

In Dutch, the surname Geerdink means “guardian”, and it was often used to refer to a caretaker or gatekeeper. Alternatively, the name could be derived from the German word “Gerd” meaning “spear” and the Germanic suffix “ink” meaning “descendant of”.

The name may also have been adapted from the name Gerard, which is a form of Gerardus, a medieval German name of Germanic origin that meant “spear strength”. This suggests that the surname was originally created as a patronymic of sorts from a parent with the given name Gerard.

It is likely that the variants of the surname originated with immigrants to America. The consonant “c” in Gerdink was often swapped for a “k” or “x” (as with Gerdinck or Gerdinkx), and when the name was adopted by German immigrants, “dink” could be changed to “ding” or “den” (as with Gerding and Gerden).

In England, many variations of the surname can be found, including Gereinck, Giering, Geerding and Gering. In modern times, the surnames Geerdink, Gerdink, Gerdinkx and Gerdunk can be found in North America, typically among Dutch-American immigrants.

Famous people with the name Geerdink

• Kajsa Ollongren: Kajsa Ollongren is a prominent Dutch politician who currently serves as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister for the Interior and Kingdom relations in the Netherlands, and is also a member of the Democratic 66. She was born Kajsa Geerdink.
• Robert Geerdink: Robert Geerdink is a business consultant and former Executive Vice President of ConocoPhillips. He is a director of several companies, as well as a board member of the Petroleum Equipment & Services Association.
• Jop Geerdink: Jop Geerdink is a Dutch music producer, video maker and author, who is best known for his work with Dutch rapper Brainpower and Afrobeats group Team Sefa. He is currently the CEO of the music label and production company Dutch Foundation Music.
• Frauke Geerdink: Frauke Geerdink is a Dutch freelance journalist, author and war correspondent who was the first Western journalist to be based in the Kurdish region of Turkey and currently works with DW in Moscow.
• Femke Geerdink: Femke Geerdink is a Dutch journalist, author and documentary maker, who reported from various conflict areas in the Middle East and wrote extensively on the wars in Iraq, Syria and the Kurdish conflict.

Other surnames

GeerdinckGeerding