Van Leeuwen (surname)

Van Leeuwen is a Dutch toponymic surname meaning "from Leeuwen". In 2007, nearly 28,000 people in the Netherlands carried the name, making it the 18th most common name there.[1] There are two places named Leeuwen in Gelderland (Leeuwen and a hamlet absorbed in Wageningen) and two in Limburg (near Roermond and near Reuver). Considering the high frequency of the name and the small size of these two places, it has been speculated that people from many other places, such as the relatively larger Belgian cities of Leuven and Denderleeuw may have also ended up being called "van Leeuwen" as well.[2] Although translated as "lions" in modern Dutch, the place name may be explained originating from Germanic hlaiw, meaning (burial) mound.[2] The name appeared in records since the 13th-century in Holland.[3] People with this surname include:

Double-barreled surnames

References
  1. Leendert Brouwer, The top 100 surnames in the Netherlands (in Dutch)
  2. Leeuwen, van at the Database of Surnames in The Netherlands.
  3. Van Leeuwen Documentation at the same site.
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