Surname van den Brink - Meaning and Origin
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van den Brink: What does the surname van den Brink mean?
Van den Brink is a Dutch name meaning "from or of the brink." The term brink refers to a bank of a body of water, such as a river, lake, or sea. It can also reference a "cliff or edge," such as the edge of a mountain. It may also be understood to mean "from the edge of the country," a reference to a once-prominent home along the borderlands of a nation's boundary.
The surname is originally a patronymic, which means that it is derived from the first name of one’s father. In Dutch culture, this is often an indication that the name’s original bearer was a landowner or farmer. In the Netherlands, this could refer to properties located at the outlet of a river or at the coast. Van den Brink may also simply mean "from the Beam," referring to the shrub found in some parts of the Netherlands.
Van den Brink is a popular surname in the Netherlands and Germany. Records of the surname can be traced back to as early as the 1300s in the Netherlands. It is believed to have been initially borne by Roman soldiers stationed in the area, as evidenced by a 14th century record of a Roman soldier named Johannes ven den Drink.
This surname is often seen in the Dutch spelling of van den Brink, or, more commonly, Van den Brink. The German spelling is usually Van de Brink. The English translation is most often Van den Brink, although some variations do exist. At its core, however, this surname is most certainly rooted in the Dutch phrase of ‘van den brink’, which means “from or of the brink.”
Order DNA origin analysisvan den Brink: Where does the name van den Brink come from?
The last name van den Brink is most common in the Netherlands and Belgium. It is a Dutch toponymic surname, derived from the place name ‘van den Brink’, which means ‘from the edge’. The name may refer to someone living near a particular border, and was likely adopted by various individual families many centuries ago.
The surname is still in use in Europe today, especially in the Netherlands and Belgium. It’s relatively distinctive, but by no means rare. According toFamilySearch.org, it’s the 22nd most common surname in the Netherlands, and the 11thmost common in Belgium. The name is widely scattered throughout the two countries, with especially high concentrations in the eastern part of the Netherlands near the German border.
The last name van den Brink is rarer in other nations, but still relatively well-known in parts of the English-speaking world. North American sources like AncestryDNA cite the name as having significant concentrations in the United States, Canada, and New Zealand. It’s also worth noting that the surname is likely to have migrated geographically over the years, and may be shared by various families with different ethnic or religious backgrounds.
Variations of the surname van den Brink
The surname van den Brink is of Dutch origin, and has many variants, spellings and alternate surnames.
The most common variants are Van den Brink, Vandenbroucke, Van de Bronck, Van Denbrink, and Vandenbrink. The spelling variations of van den Brink can include Vandenbrinck, Van Denbrinck, and Van den Brinck.
Other surnames of similar origin but with a different spelling are Vandenbroek, Vandenbrucke, Van de Bronx, Vandenbrick, Van de Brunke, Van den Bracey, Van den Boeck, Van den Bos, and Van de Bruyn.
Other alternate forms of van den Brink are Brinck, Brinckerhoff, Vandembrinck, Brinkelhoff, Brinkemeyer, Vandenbrincken, and Brinckman.
In addition, van den Brink can also be spelled without the "van" prefix, such as Den Brinck, Den Brink, and Denbrink.
Finally, sometimes the surname may be found as Browink, Brouwink, and Browinck.
Famous people with the name van den Brink
- Bas van den Brink: Dutch professor and chair of clinical neuroscience at Utrecht University in the Netherlands as well as special professor of neurology at the VU University in Amsterdam.
- Carla van den Brink: Dutch lawyer and professor of European criminal law at Radboud University Nijmegen in the Netherlands.
- Emma van den Brink: Dutch composer and pianist.
- Joost van den Brink: Dutch cardiologist and chair of cardiovascular strategy at the Amsterdam University Medical Centers (UvA-VUmc).
- Karl van den Brink: German television producer and presenter.
- Petra van den Brink: Dutch diplomat who is currently representing the Netherlands in South Sudan.
- Robert J. van den Brink: Dutch professor of sociology at Utrecht University and an expert on multiculturalism, organizational diversity management, and immigrant integration.
- Thomas van den Brink: Dutch professor of nutrition and food sciences at Wageningen University in the Netherlands and an international expert on global health.