Dutch Baby Names for Boys

The Dutch equivalent of Walt makes the Top 100 in Belgium, where Flemish parents love short, sweet names.

Dan with a little something extra.

This short form of classic Victor is popular in its own right in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Dutch form of Valentine

Fedde, a Top 100 boys' name in The Netherlands, is a Frisian short form for names beginning with Frid, which means "peace." As with many names popular in contemporary Holland, this short form stands on its own.

Much stronger than Dale for a boy.

Lasse is a Top 100 name in Germany and is well used throughout Scandinavia and The Netherlands, but English speakers will have problems with the pronunciation, which is LAH-say. Neither lass nor Lassie would be acceptable manglings.

Although it's now used mainly as an independent name in the Netherlands, Hidde began as a short form of heavy Germanic names Hildebrand and Hildebert.

An undiscovered cousin of Garrett and Gerard. Gerrit has some merit, especially for its arty credentials as the name of several Old Master painters.

Preferable to its parent name, Arnoud, in the Netherlands.

As you may surmise from its origins as a short form for Constantijn and Augustijn, Stijn rhymes with nine and fine, though most English-speakers wouldn't guess that. A popular name in the Netherlands that's obscure elsewhere, for reasons undoubtedly connected to its spelling and pronunciation issues.

If you're looking for a Euro-chic alternative to Max, Mats is a strong possibility. It's a fading classic in Norway, but is popular in the Netherlands and Belgium, where short names are the height of style.

This short and striking Viktor nickname is more popular than the fuller form in the Netherlands, where it currently ranks in the Top 200.

Originally a Frisian short form of names beginning with the element gild "sacrifice, value". It is also used as a Dutch short form of William.

Old-school nicknames for boys are back, and Lenn is a great candidate for revival. Single-N Len may not be as cool as this Dutch version, originally a nickname for Lennart.

Sef is a rising short form of Jozef in the Netherlands, where it outranks its parent form.

Teun, pronounced like something between ton and tune in English, is one of the most popular boys' names in The Netherlands, consistent with that country's preference for short, simple names. The equivalent of the English Tony, it doesn't travel quite as well as Dutch favorites Sem and Bas do.