Show ContentsGroen History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

The Groen name comes from the Middle Dutch "groene," which means "green." As a surname, it came from a nickname for someone who habitually dressed in green.

Early Origins of the Groen family

The surname Groen was first found in Holland, where the name became noted for its many branches in the region, each house acquiring a status and influence which was envied by the princes of the region. The name was first recorded in South Holland, a province of Holland, the most crowded province of the Netherlands. The principal cities are Rotterdam, Leyden and Shiedam. Noted is the famed castle of Teilengen where Jacqueline of Bavaria is buried. In their later history the surname became a power unto themselves and were elevated to the ranks of nobility as they grew into this most influential family.

Early History of the Groen family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Groen research. Another 98 words (7 lines of text) covering the years 1590, 1600, 1609, 1626, 1631, 1657, 1658, 1719, 1781 and 1832 are included under the topic Early Groen History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Groen Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Groen, Grön, Groenen, Groenhof, Groenenberg, Groenendyck, Groenenvelt, Groenewegen, Groengras, Groenincx, Groening, Groenwyck, Groenesteyn, Gröngert, Grone, Gronedel, Gronefel, Grönhagen and many more.

Early Notables of the Groen family

From this era of Dutch history, those of this who distinguished themselves included

  • van Groenewegen (1590/1600-1658), a Dutch Golden Age landscape painter, member of the Guild of Saint Luke (1626), joined the Confrerie Pictura (1657), many of his works now reside at the Rijksmuseum A...
  • Jacob Groenewegen (died 22 May 1609) was a Dutch leading merchant (opperkoopman) on the fleet under Pieter Willemsz...

Groen Ranking

In Netherlands, the name Groen is the 63rd most popular surname with an estimated 13,554 people with that name. 1


United States Groen migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Groen Settlers in United States in the 17th Century
  • Thobias Groen, who settled in New Netherland in 1659
  • Thobias Groen, who landed in New Netherland(s) in 1659 2
  • Arent Eldertszen Groen, who settled in New York, NY in 1665
Groen Settlers in United States in the 18th Century
  • Jacob Marius Groen, who arrived in New York in 1715
  • Jacob Marius Groen, who landed in New York, NY in 1715 2
  • John George Groen, who settled in New York in 1750
  • John George Groen, who landed in New York, NY in 1750 2
Groen Settlers in United States in the 19th Century
  • Mag Groen, aged 35, who landed in New York, NY in 1847 2
  • Maria Groen, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 2
  • Regt Groen, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 2
  • Johannes Berends Groen, aged 35, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 2
  • Ambreana Groen, aged 3, who landed in Boston, Massachusetts in 1848 2
  • ... (More are available in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.)

Contemporary Notables of the name Groen (post 1700) +

  • Louis M. "Lou" Groen (1917-2011), American entrepreneur, and businessman who invented the Filet-O-Fish sandwich in 1962
  • Sander Groen (b. 1968), Dutch former professional tennis player who reached World No. 177 (4 March 1996)
  • Elly de Groen -Kouwenhoven (1949-2004), born Elly Kouwenhoven, a Dutch author and politician, Member of the European Parliament 2004-2009
  • Lubertus Cornelis "Bert" Groen (b. 1945), Dutch businessman, former civil servant and politician of the Reformed Political League
  • Annemarie Groen (b. 1955), Dutch backstroke swimmer at the 1972 Summer Olympics
  • Richard Paul de Groen (b. 1962), New Zealand cricket player who played five Tests and 12 One Day Internationals for New Zealand
  • Sara Groen (b. 1981), Australian actress and television presenter


  1. "Most Common Last Names in Netherlands." Forebears, https://forebears.io/netherlands/surnames
  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)


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