Dutch Baby Names for Boys

The many names connected more by letter and sound than by root -- Micha, Micah, Mica, Misha, Mischa, Michal, and of course Michael -- can get very confusion, and this variation is sure to cause pronunciation problems in the US. Hard or soft ch? Long or short i? Better stick with Micah, Misha...or Michael.

The short, cute Pim is a Top 100 boys' name in The Netherlands though little-known outside that country. But in a family overrun with Williams, Pim could make an original nickname setting a modern child apart from father Will and grandpa Bill.

Permanent property of that devilish little Simpson kid.

Raf is a raffish short form that many a cool boy would love to call his own.

A fresh Dutch take on George, although you’re likely to get pronunciation errors upon first meetings.

Popular name in the Netherlands that's arguably more attractive than the original Shem, who was one of the biblical sons of Noah. A Sam alternative, though you'll forever be explaining it.

Gives middle-aged Neil a new lease on life.

Popular Dutch name that reflects the short, clipped style in vogue in that country. Another Bartholomeus or Bartholomew short form also popular there is Bart.

This short form stands alone in its native Netherlands.

Popular Dutch name Gijs, which rhymes with nice, originated as a short form of Gijsbert, which itself is a Dutch and Germanic form of Gilbert. Though in the Top 100 in The Netherlands, we don't see this emigrating beyond Amsterdam and environs.

Seen as feminine in English-speaking countries, Dani is a Top 100 boy name in the Netherlands, Slovenia, and Bosnia & Herzegovina.

Like many Dutch names, this one, pronounced 'yoost' has an upbeat sound. Also spelled Joos, as in sixteenth century Netherlandish master Joos van Cleve, one of the first to introduce background landscapes in his paintings.

The Dutch answer to Gus.

Bas is a fashionable name in its own right in the Netherlands, where it's been in the Top 10. Used throughout Europe, it may have a future here as a straightforward-but-charming nickname name. Baz is another, similar and more appealing possibility.

A symbolic name for boys born during a period between Passover and Shavuot.