Dutch Names & Language Secrets: A Fun Guide for Kids=

What Do the Dutch Speak?

Dutch is the official language of the Netherlands and one of the West Germanic languages, just like German and English. That’s why many Dutch words might sound familiar to English speakers! About 90% of people in the Netherlands speak Dutch every day—in schools, homes, stores, and on TV.

But Dutch isn’t only spoken in the Netherlands. You’ll also hear Dutch in Belgium (where it’s called Flemish), in the South American country of Suriname, and in parts of the Caribbean, too. In fact, Dutch is one of the few languages spoken across multiple continents.

In the northern part of the Netherlands, another language is spoken: Friesian (Frisian). Over 500,000 people use Friesian as their first or second language. It’s even older than Dutch and is taught in schools in the Friesland province. Many Dutch children grow up hearing both Dutch and Friesian!

Dutch is full of fun sounds and interesting spellings, and it’s known for its guttural “g” and soft “ij” sound. There are over 25 dialects of Dutch, meaning that people from different parts of the country might speak a little differently—but they all understand each other.

Kids learning Dutch can start by listening to cartoons, songs, and stories with clear pronunciation and easy vocabulary. That’s where Dinolingo comes in. With interactive lessons, songs, videos, and flashcards, Dinolingo makes learning Dutch feel like playtime!

Dutch Names: What Do Dutch Kids Call Each Other?

Names in the Netherlands are often short, cute, and full of meaning! Here are some of the most popular baby names for Dutch boys and girls:

Top 10 Girls’ Names in the Netherlands:
Emma
Julia
Sophie
Lotte
Isa
Lisa
Saar
Lieke
Eva
Anna

Top 10 Boys’ Names in the Netherlands:
Daan
Shem
Milan
Levi
Luuk
Luca
Jayden
Thomas
Stijn
Jesse

You might notice that many names are easy to pronounce in both Dutch and English—this is helpful because Dutch families love traveling and often learn other languages too!

Dutch Last Names: What’s in a Name?

Many Dutch last names describe what a person’s ancestor did (like a job) or where they lived (like near a forest or a lake). Here are some examples of common Dutch surnames and what they mean:

• Bakker – Baker
• Bos – Forest
• De Boer – Farmer
• Brouwer – Brewer
• Van Dijk – From the dike (a wall to hold back water)
• De Vries – The Frisian (from Friesland)
• Visser – Fisher
• Smit – Smith (like a blacksmith)
• Prins – Prince
• Jansen / Janssen – Son of Jan (like “Johnson” in English)

In Dutch, you’ll often see “van,” “van der,” or “de” at the beginning of a name. These mean things like “from” or “the.” So “Van der Meer” means “from the lake,” and “De Wit” means “the white,” possibly describing someone with blonde hair!

Learning names is a fun way for children to connect with another culture. They can try:

• Giving their dolls or stuffed animals Dutch names,
• Drawing family trees using Dutch-style names,
• Or making name tags with their first name written in Dutch script.