Show ContentsDykstra History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Early Origins of the Dykstra family

The surname Dykstra was first found in early documents. It is derived from the word "dyk" which means "dyke." The word "van" which often appears in Dutch names (including most of the variations of this name) is roughly equivalent to "by" or "at," indicating that the name refers to some feature of the terrain near the first bearer's home. Therefore, the first person to bear this name lived near a dyke.

Early History of the Dykstra family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dykstra research. The years 1575, 1599, 1621, 1627, 1641 and 1651 are included under the topic Early Dykstra History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dykstra Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Van Dyk, Van Dijk, Van Dijck, Van Dyck, Van Dijken, Van Dyken, Dijkman, Dykman, Op en Dyke, Updike and many more.

Early Notables of the Dykstra family

From this era of Dutch history, those of this who distinguished themselves included Floris van Dyck (c.1575-c.1651), a Dutch Golden Age still life painter; and Sir Anthony van Dyck (1599-1641), Flemish Baroque artist who became the leading court painter in England. He was the seventh child of Frans van Dyck, a wealthy Antwerp silk merchant and learned painted from an early age. Van Dyck worked in London for some months in 1621...
Another 72 words (5 lines of text) are included under the topic Early Dykstra Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dykstra Ranking

In the United States, the name Dykstra is the 5,198th most popular surname with an estimated 4,974 people with that name. 1


Dykstra migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dykstra Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • A S Dykstra, aged 2, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 2
  • D E Dykstra, aged 30, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 2
  • Dirkje DeGroot Dykstra, aged 30, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 2
  • Geert Dykstra, who arrived in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 2
  • Gerrit Albert Dykstra, aged 29, who landed in Baltimore, Maryland in 1847 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Dykstra (post 1700) +

  • John Dykstra (1875-1959), American politician, member of the Michigan House of Representatives from 1927 to 1934
  • Gretchen Dykstra (b. 1948), founding President and CEO of the National 9/11 Memorial and Museum Foundation
  • Joel D. Dykstra, American politician, Republican member of the South Dakota House of Representatives
  • Andrew Dykstra (b. 1986), American soccer player
  • John Charles Dykstra A.S.C. (b. 1947), American three-time Academy Award-winning special effects supervisor
  • Leonard Kyle "Lenny" Dykstra (b. 1963), American former Major League Baseball center fielder
  • Paula Dykstra, American Democratic Party politician, Delegate to Democratic National Convention from Minnesota, 1984 3
  • John Dykstra (1875-1959), American Republican politician, Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Muskegon County 1st District, 1927-34; Defeated, 1934, 1936 3
  • Daniel Dykstra (1920-1999), American politician, Member of Montana State House of Representatives, 1961-65 3
  • Ate Dykstra (1865-1953), American Republican politician, Candidate for Mayor of Grand Rapids, Michigan, 1910; Member of Michigan State House of Representatives from Kent County 1st District, 1923-34, 1939-42, 1945-46 3
  • ... (Another 4 notables are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)


  1. "What are the 5,000 Most Common Last Names in the U.S.?". NameCensus.com, https://namecensus.com/last-names/
  2. Filby, P. William, Meyer, Mary K., Passenger and immigration lists index : a guide to published arrival records of about 500,000 passengers who came to the United States and Canada in the seventeenth, eighteenth, and nineteenth centuries. 1982-1985 Cumulated Supplements in Four Volumes Detroit, Mich. : Gale Research Co., 1985, Print (ISBN 0-8103-1795-8)
  3. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, October 9) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html


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