Surname Verbruggen - Meaning and Origin

Verbruggen: What does the surname Verbruggen mean?

Verbruggen is a Dutch toponymic surname, derived from Dutch words meaning "bridge" and "build". This indicates that the original bearers of the surname were builders or owners of bridges. The name may have originally derived from particular families who built bridges in certain locations and then took the family name from the location.

The first written records of the surname date back to the 14th century in the eastern Dutch area of Overijssel. Since then, it has spread across the Netherlands in popularity and is now a common surname in the Netherlands and in other countries with Dutch ancestry.

Verbruggen is also a surname encountered elsewhere in Europe, notably in Austria and Switzerland, although it is not known how it became established in those countries.

In the English-speaking world, Verbruggen is now mainly known as the name of the prominent cycling-family, founded by Felix Verbruggen and expanded by his descendants Philip and Hein (the former of whom was the UCI president), who have been involved in Dutch cycling for several decades.

Verbruggen: Where does the name Verbruggen come from?

The Verbruggen surname is most commonly found in Belgium today. This is likely due to the surname being derived from a region in the Netherlands called North Brabant, which is closely linked to Belgium. Historically, the surname originated in the Middle Ages when it was associated with a Dutch family of nobility. People with the Verbruggen surname today are primarily found in the Netherlands and Belgium, with other countries such as the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand having smaller numbers of them.

The majority of people with the Verbruggen surname still live in Belgium, especially in the Flemish-speaking regions. Other cities in Belgium with a higher amount of people with the surname tend to be concentrated in Wallonia. There are also a fair amount of people with the surname living in the Netherlands, with the highest concentration of them being in the province of North Brabant.

People with the Verbruggen surname in these countries trace their lineage back to the Middle Ages. During that time, the Verbruggen family were well known as warriors, governors, and administrators for different parts of Europe. Despite their noble ancestry, the Verbruggen family represented a more middle class status, which is why the surname is still quite common.

Today, people associated with the Verbruggen surname can still be found in the Netherlands and Belgium, with much smaller numbers in other parts of the world like the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, and New Zealand.

Variations of the surname Verbruggen

Verbruggen is a patronymic surname of Dutch origin derived from the personal name Verbrugghe, which means “bridge builder”. It can be spelled and pronounced in various ways, depending on the variant of Dutch spoken.

Basic variants:

Verbrug/Verbruggen - Flemish

Verbrugghe - Dutch Low Saxon

Verbrug/Verbrugghe - Dutch Brabant

Verbruggen - standard Dutch

Common spellings:

Verbruggen

Verbrugghe

Verbrug

Verbruch

Verbrugge

Verbrugghe

Surnames derived from Verbruggen:

Verbrugs

Verbruggens

Verbrugge

Verbrughs

Verbruggs

Verbrucques

Verbruccos

Verbruggen has been a popular Dutch surname since the middle ages and is still in use today, spread across Europe and the Americas. The most notable bearer is Belgian artist Pieter Verbruggen (1650-1702).

Famous people with the name Verbruggen

• Piet Verbruggen: Professional football player from the Netherlands
• Wim Verbruggen: Film director and screenwriter from Belgium
• Pierre Verbruggen: Doctoral Professor in Law at the University of Antwerp, Belgium
• Franck Verbruggen: Documentary Film Director from Belgium
• Siegfried Verbruggen: President-General of the International Federation of SSCO (Research and Development)
• Yenthe Verbruggen: Dutch professional football player
• Bo Verbruggen: Dutch actor
• Daniël Verbruggen: Dutch professional football player
• Bart Verbruggen: Dutch professional football player
• Ron Verbruggen: Dutch professional football player
• Patrick Verbruggen: Dutch professional football player
• Irene Verbruggen: Dutch professional badminton player
• Ben Verbruggen: Dutch professional ice hockey player
• Lieneke Verbruggen: Dutch sprint canoer
• Inez Verbruggen: Dutch professional long-distance runner
• Jan Verbruggen: Dutch professional cyclist
• Albert Verbruggen: Belgian professional Cyclocross racer

Other surnames

VerbruggeVerbrügge