Surname Geerink - Meaning and Origin

Geerink: What does the surname Geerink mean?

The last name Geerink is an Dutch patronymic surname, derived from the personal name “Geert,” or “Gerard.” It may be derived from the Old Germanic elements “ger” and “ric,” meaning “spear-rule.” Like many Dutch surnames, it is derived from a parent’s given name and is usually passed down through a family tree.

This surname is most often found in The Netherlands, particularly in the regions of North Holland, South Holland and Friesland. However, records can also be found in Belgium, as well as Germany.

The earliest instances of the Geerink surname in The Netherlands date back to the late 1600s. Mention can be found in records of baptisms, marriages, and funerals. It was common for people to use multiple spellings of their last name, which is why records can be found with slight variations, such as Gerink, Gering, and sometimes even Gerinc.

The Geerink surname is quite rare today, being less than 1 in 10,000 people. It is likely that the name disapparared or became subsumed with other families, however a small number of people still bear the name. Those that do still retain the original spelling, Geerink.

Geerink: Where does the name Geerink come from?

The last name Geerink is most commonly found today in the Netherlands. It is of Dutch origin, a patronymic referencing the name of a father or ancestor. According to The Netherlands Institute for Art History, the name can also be found in the United States. It is thought to have been brought by Dutch settlers during the mid-17th century.

In the Netherlands, the name is most common in the province of Gelderland, particularly in the cities around the IJssel River like Deventer, Zutphen, Zwolle, and Kampen. It is also thought to be popular in other areas of the Netherlands, like Limburg, Overijssel, and Utrecht.

Geerink is a fairly popular surname in the Netherlands with over 11,000 people bearing the name. Within the Netherlands, the name is carried by both nobility and commoners.

The name is also widely found in the United States, primarily in the Midwest and Mid-Atlantic areas as well as the East Coast. Within the United States the surname is most frequently encountered in Michigan, Minnesota, and Pennsylvania.

Though relatively rare, the surname Geerink can also be found in other countries around the world, including Australia, Canada, England, France, Brazil, and South Africa.

Variations of the surname Geerink

Geerink is a Dutch East India Company surname from the Netherlands. The name comes from an old Dutch word for gifts and money. Since the 17th century, the surname has been spelled in various ways, including Geerink, Geerinck, Geeringe, Gering, Geerings, Geringe, Geringen, and Geringk. Geerink is an uncommon name due to the fact that few immigrants from the Netherlands to other countries such as the U.S. chose to keep this surname.

The spelling variants found in Dutch records from the pre-17th century are primarily Geerenke, Geerinck, Geerincken, Geerinks, and Geerinckx. All other spellings of the name can also be traced back to one of these original surnames. Examples are Geerens, Geerings, Gering, Geringk, Geringen, and Geringer.

There are various regionally distinct surnames that are believed to be derived from the same root. These include Geeren, Geerens, Geerling, Geerlings, Geerlemans, Geerlings, Geermeijer, Geers, and Gerichs.

In the U.S., the surname is also sometimes found as Gering, Gerring, Gerink, and Geering. However, because these are phonetic variants, they are generally not considered to be related to the original family name.

The surname Geerink is still quite rare today, with only a few hundred persons known to carry the name. The majority of those with the surname live in the Netherlands, with a small number also found in other countries.

Famous people with the name Geerink

• Johannes Geerink: a Dutch artist known for his photorealistic paintings.
• Joram Geerink: a Dutch physicist and creator of the mathematical Geerink model.
• Willem Geerink: a Dutch professional footballer.
• Rob Geerink: a Dutch former professional footballer.
• Tom Geerink: a Dutch racing cyclist.
• Marjolein Geerink: a Dutch swimmer.
• Gerhard Geerink: a Dutch football coach.
• Willem Geerink: a Dutch former professional tennis player.
• David Geerink: a Dutch painter, sculptor, photographer, and performance artist.
• Johan Geerink: a Dutch documentary filmmaker, director, and producer.

Other surnames

GeerinckGeering