NetherlandsThe surname Opdijk 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.
This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Opdijk research. More information is included under the topic Early Opdijk History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
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.
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 Opdijk Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.
Some of the first settlers of this family name or some of its variants were: Achias Janse Vandyck, who arrived in New York in 1651, Gregorius, who arrived in Delaware in 1643, Karl Janse Vandijck, who settled in New York in 1687 and countless others. The 1984 edition of the Report of Distribution of Surnames in the Social Security Number File lists the surname Van Dyk(e) as the 1,842nd most popular surname in the United States.Today, the name $ is fairly common in The Netherlands, but branches exist in many European countries, especially Germany..
