Surname van Keulen - Meaning and Origin
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van Keulen: What does the surname van Keulen mean?
The last name van Keulen is an occupational surname derived from the Dutch language. It is composed of two words, “van” which means “from” or “of,” and “Keulen” which is an old Dutch word for a type of merchant. This surname would indicate that the initial carriers of the name were involved in commerce.
In many cases, this would have likely been hereditary, as was common practice in many parts of Europe. The carrier of the surname may have been a seller of some kind of item, such as cloth or spices, or they could have been an overseer of the goods on a merchant ship.
More recently, the surname van Keulen has been adopted by many families of Dutch descent, commonly as a result of immigration. It can also be found in other countries, particularly in North America, where many people of Dutch descent settled.
Therefore, the last name van Keulen is reflective of the movement of people, goods, and ideas throughout history. It is an important reminder of the global interconnectedness of people and their cultures, and as such is meaningful to many.
Order DNA origin analysisvan Keulen: Where does the name van Keulen come from?
The surname van Keulen is common in parts of Europe, particularly The Netherlands and Germany. In Germany, the van Keulen name is most prominent in the northern states of North Rhine-Westphalia, Lower Saxony, and Schleswig-Holstein. In The Netherlands, the name is most frequent in the northern and western provinces of Friesland, Groningen, Flevoland, Amsterdam, and Utrecht.
Van Keulen is also found in Belgium and Luxembourg, where families often have connections to The Netherlands. In Brussels, many people of Dutch origin use the name van Keulen, and it's not uncommon to see van Keulen's of Belgian descent.
In the United States, the name is relatively uncommon, although there are a few family clusters scattered throughout the country. In the US Census records of 2017, it was estimated that fewer than 2,000 people in the country had the surname van Keulen. Most of these individuals live in California and New York.
In Canada, the name van Keulen is rarer still, with fewer than 400 people registered in the 2011 census. Most of these people can be found in the provinces of British Columbia and Ontario.
In Australia, the surname is almost identical, but spelled van Koolen. This variation is common mainly in the states of Queensland and New South Wales.
Overall, the van Keulen surname is not particularly widespread in any one country. It remains relatively uncommon, with its most dense concentrations in parts of Northern Europe, and its greatest numbers found in Germany, The Netherlands, and Belgium.
Variations of the surname van Keulen
Van Keulen is a Dutch surname originating from the Netherlands. It is a patronymic name derived from the personal name of the father (or ancestor) of the original bearer. The variants and spellings of van Keulen are numerous due to the different spellings of the name in different locations.
The most common variants of van Keulen are Van Keulen, van Kuelen, van Koolen, van Coulen and Coolen (Dutch) and Van Kleunen and Kleunen (Frisian). In some families the surname has been simplified over time to the more recognizable Van Kuilen, Van Koolen, Koolen, and Kian or Keun.
There are a number of sub-surnames associated with the van Keulen name, which are often derived from the place of origin of the original bearer. Examples of sub-surnames are Van Keulen de Kreek, Van Keulen van Kamperveen, Van Keulen van Oostrum, Van Keulen van Kesteren and Van Keulen van der Ness.
Van Keulen is a popular surname in the Netherlands, and is found throughout Europe, North America, Australia and New Zealand. Variants of the surname are also found in Germany, Belgium, France, Italy, Poland and the Scandinavian countries.
The name is often anglicized and shortened to 'Koen', 'Keun', 'Keune', 'Kane' or 'Kian'. Van Keulen is usually assumed to be a Dutch surname but there are also records of people of the same surname living in Belgium and other parts of Europe.
Famous people with the name van Keulen
- Charlotte van Keulen: Dutch songwriter, performer, intellect and radio producer
- Foolad VanKeulen, MBE: Dutch-born Australian mathematician, physicist and philosopher
- Mark van Keulen: Dutch composer and music producer
- Guus van Keulen: former professional football player
- Egon van Keulen: Dutch painter
- Jasper van Keulen: Dutch photographer
- Bram van Keulen: Dutch footballer
- René van Keulen: Dutch football chairman
- Jan van Keulen: Dutch footballer
- Laetitia van Keulen: Dutch violinist, conductor and artist in residence at the Royal Conservatoire The Hague