Surname van Barten - Meaning and Origin

van Barten: What does the surname van Barten mean?

The last name van Barten is of Dutch origin, derived from the Dutch term 'van den Barten', meaning "from the farm of Bart". Bart is a Dutch personal name derived from the Germanic name "Bardo", meaning "the bright one". The name denotes someone who owned the farm.

During the medieval period in Europe, many people were known by their location. Thus, the surname van den Barten could have referred to a family that originated from a particular farmstead and emerged from various locations in the Netherlands, including North and South Holland, and Utrecht.

The surname van Barten is common in the Netherlands, especially in South Holland, and is found to a lesser degree in Germany, Canada, the United States, and other countries. Although the surname is found in several European countries, it is still a relatively rare surname compared to many traditional Dutch surnames.

The meaning of van Barten may vary depending on the region in which the family comes from and the various spelling variations including Van Den Barten, Van Barten, Van Denbarten, and VanDenbarten. Generally, these surname variations denote the same individual or family, originating from the farm of Bart.

The meaning behind the surname van Barten is firmly established in its Dutch origin, holding its original meaning of referring to someone who owned or once owned a farm of Bart.

van Barten: Where does the name van Barten come from?

The last name van Barten is most common today in the Netherlands, where it is ranked as the 120th most common name. It is also widespread in Belgium, particularly in the Dutch-speaking parts of the country.

Van Barten is a Dutch and Flemish (Belgian) patronymic surname, meaning "son of Barten." It is derived from the Old German personal name Bartholomeus ("son of Talmai" or "son of the furrows"), which had begun to be used in the Low Countries from the 14th century. The name Barten is a Dutch variation derived from the Germanic personal name Bardo.

Today, the van Barten name is associated mainly with the Netherlands and Flanders in Belgium. It is still quite common in both countries, the Netherlands in particular, where the van Barten name is among the top 120 surnames. In Belgium, it is much less widespread than in the Netherlands.

Outside of the Low Countries, the van Barten family name is quite rare. It is not particularly widespread in the European countries that were once Dutch colonies, although it can be occasionally found in the populations of Suriname, for instance, which was once colonized by the Netherlands. It also exists, albeit rarely, in the United States, United Kingdom and other parts of the British diaspora.

Variations of the surname van Barten

The surname van Barten has a number of variants, spellings, and surnames of the same origin. Some of these include van Bartten, Vanbarten, Vambarten, Van Barten, Vangarten, Van Garben, Vangarben, Vande Bart, Vant Bar, Van Barte, and VanBart.

Van Barten is derived from the Low German words bart and barte, meaning beard and small beard, respectively. As such, the surname can be found as a patronymic to Van de Bart, meaning "son of the beard" or Van de Barte, meaning "son of the small beard". It may have also been used as a descriptive nickname from the Middle Dutch word bart, meaning hedge.

Van Barten is most prevalent in the Netherlands, Belgium, and Germany but can also be found in the United States. In Dutch, the spelling is almost always Van Barten, while in English, the spelling is often changed to VanBart or Vanbarten.

The surname is also spelled in Dutch as Van Barten and Vambarten. The variants Vander Bart, Van Garben, and Vant Bar are also common, but they are rarely used in English. Vande Bart and Van Bart are equally common variations.

Other variants include Vandenbergh, Van Den Berg, and Vanderberg, all based on the original Germanic term bergh (meaning mountain). These are the Dutch and German versions of “van den Berg.”

Whatever the spelling, all of these variations are related to the surname van Barten, in some way or another, and can all be traced to the original common ancestor.

Famous people with the name van Barten

• Hendrik van Barten: Founder of a Faabrik, a multimedia studio based in Amsterdam.
• Joris van Barten: Dutch physicist active in scientific, corporate and culture spheres.
• Nel van Barten: Dutch poet and author, published numerous books of poetry.
• Stacy van Barten: Dutch model, known for her successful fashion career.
• Tom van Barten: Dutch water polo player and goalkeeper, member of Dutch national team.
• Jeroen van Barten: Dutch fencer, won a bronze medal at the 2008 Olympic Games.
• Pieter van Barten: Dutch Golden Age painter, most famous for his large-scale works.
• Frank van Barten: Dutch graphic designer and animator, obtained numerous awards.
• Dennis van Barten: Dutch footballer, signed with Fortuna Sittard in 2020.
• Marijn van Barten: Dutch politician, member of the Christian Union since 2017.

Other surnames

van Bart