Surname VandenGeer - Meaning and Origin
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VandenGeer: What does the surname VandenGeer mean?
The last name VandenGeer is of Dutch origin, derived from the region of Guelders in the Netherlands. The word “Geer” was used to refer to an area of land owned by the same family, and “Van” was a preposition used to denote that the individual was associated with the land. The VandenGeer surname developed over the centuries and has been passed down since the Middle Ages.
The earliest documented mention of the name was in 1285, when a Johannes van den Geer appears in a list of tax payments within Guelders. By the 1600s, members of the VandenGeer family had spread throughout the Netherlands, Germany, Belgium and France, and some members were even part of the Dutch settlements in New York and New Jersey.
Today, VandenGeers are found around the world, although descendants of the original family are concentrated in the Netherlands. The surname is associated with a sense of family heritage and tradition, and it denotes a connection to the long-standing community of Guelders that first gave rise to the name.
Order DNA origin analysisVandenGeer: Where does the name VandenGeer come from?
The last name VandenGeer is common today primarily in the Netherlands, Belgium, and northern France. Records suggest that this surname originates from the Saxon word "geer" and is thought to come from a family of Belgian and French nobility. Van den Geer is also commonly found throughout parts of Germany, the UK, and Ireland.
In the Netherlands, the Van den Geer name is found mostly throughout the south and west of the country, with many families drifiting away to the area surrounding Utrecht and the provinces of North Holland and Friesland. In Belgium, the name is most common in Flanders, particularly around the large cities of Antwerp, Brussels, and Leuven. In France it is most prevalent around the Champagne-Ardenne region as well as in Paris and the Ile-de-France.
In the UK and Ireland, the Van den Geer family can trace their roots to the early 17th century when Dutch refugees came to Britain and Ireland in search of religious freedom. By the 18th and 19th centuries, the family had spread throughout much of England, Scotland, and Wales, although there are still pockets of Van den Geer family members in London, Bristol, and the Midlands.
The name VandenGeer is not particularly common outside of these areas, and there is only a small number of families with this name in other parts of the world. However, with the increased flow of people from Europe to countries like Australia, Canada, and the United States, it is likely that there are now more Van den Geer family members living outside of Europe than inside.
Variations of the surname VandenGeer
VandenGeer is an uncommon Dutch surname, which can be found spelled in a number of different ways. The most common spellings are Vandengeer, van den Geer, and Van den Geer. This Dutch surname is derived from the words “van” and “den”, as well as “Geer”, which is a form of the Dutch word “Gier”, meaning “wood” or “forest”. The literal translation of VandenGeer is “from the wood”, and may have once referred to someone who lived near a forest or wood.
Other variants and spellings of VandenGeer can include Vandengaer, Vandegeer, VandeGeer, Vandegaer, Van de Geer, Vondengeer, Vondegaer, and Vandengeerde. There are also various surnames of partial similarity to VandenGeer, such as van den Berg, van de Graaf, and van der Meer.
The most popular form of VandenGeer is the “Van den Geer” variant. Likewise, the “Vandengeer” variant is more common in the Netherlands, Belgium, Germany and Austria. In addition, “Vandegeer” and “VandeGeer” are two of the most common spelling variants in the United States.
In general, the Van den Geer variant is used when the surname is written without capitals, while the VandenGeer, Vandengeer, and VandeGeer variants are preferred when writing the surname with a capital letter at the beginning of each word. Furthermore, Vandengeer and Vandengeerde can both be found as a variation of VandenGeer in the Netherlands.
Famous people with the name VandenGeer
- Elisabeth LeVander-VandenGeer, Swedish journalist
- Jackie VandenGeer, Dutch television producer and writer
- Erik VandenGeer, Dutch fashion and travel photographer
- Denise VandenGeer, Dutch television presenter
- Collette VandenGeer, Dutch theater and television actress
- Daniëlle Herman-VandenGeer, Dutch film director
- Reinder VandenGeer, Dutch television producer
- Janny VandenGeer, Dutch journalist and TV presenter
- Pattie VandenGeer, Dutch model
- Robin VandenGeer, Dutch sound mixer
- Max VandenGeer, Dutch singer and songwriter
- Jan Willem VandenGeer, Dutch actor
- Jacobus Marinus VandenGeer, Dutch theologian
- Willem VandenGeer, Dutch engineer
- Jan van Wisselaar Vanden Geer, Dutch librarian and archivist
- Dirk Adriaan VandenGeer, Dutch lawyer and academic
- Esdé Löwendahl van den Geer, Dutch politician
- Carel Hendrik van den Geer, Dutch botanist
- Elly van den Geer, Dutch costume designer
- Ruud van den Geer, Dutch banker