Dutch girl names have a clean, bright sound to them. A lot of them come with built-in nicknames (hello, cute -je endings), and they tend to look just as good on a birth announcement as they do in a story or a group chat.
Below you will find classic Dutch favorites, modern picks you hear all the time, plus a handful with religious roots, all with easy meanings and say-it-out-loud pronunciations.
Dutch Girl Names With Religious Roots
- Anneke – (AH-nuh-kuh) Means “grace” (Dutch diminutive of Anna).
- Anouk – (ah-NOOK) Means “grace” (Dutch form of Anna).
- Elisabeth – (eh-LEE-sah-bet) Means “my God is an oath.”
- Hanneke – (HAH-nuh-kuh) Means “God is gracious” (Dutch diminutive of Johanna).
- Hanna – (HAH-nah) Means “grace, favor.”
- Janneke – (YAH-nuh-kuh) Means “God is gracious” (Dutch diminutive of Jan, from Johannes).
- Johanna – (yo-HAH-nah) Means “God is gracious.”
- Jozefien – (yo-zeh-FEEN) Means “he will add” (Dutch form of Josephine).
- Fien – (FEEN) Means “he will add” (Dutch short form of Jozefien).
- Suus – (SOOS) Means “lily” (Dutch short form of Susanna).
Classic Dutch Names for Girls
- Aleid – (ah-LAYT) Means “noble kind” (Dutch short form of Adelaide).
- Anke – (AHN-kuh) Means “grace” (Dutch diminutive of Anna).
- Beatrix – (BAY-ah-triks) Means “voyager, traveler.”
- Brechtje – (BREKH-chuh) Means “bright” (from a name element meaning “bright, famous”).
- Cato – (KAH-toh) Means “pure” (Dutch short form of Catharina).
- Eefje – (AYF-yuh) Means “life” (Dutch diminutive of Eva).
- Els – (els) Means “my God is an oath” (short form of Elisabeth).
- Fenna – (FEH-nah) Means “peace.”
- Floor – (flor) Means “flowering” (Dutch short form related to Flora).
- Fleur – (flur) Means “flower.”
- Geertruida – (KHEER-TROY-dah) Means “spear” + “strength” (Dutch form of Gertrude).
- Geertje – (KHEER-chuh) Means “spear strength” (diminutive of Geertruida).
- Grietje – (GREET-yuh) Means “pearl” (diminutive of Griet, from Margriet).
- Heleen – (heh-LAYN) Means “torch” (Dutch form of Helena).
- Hendrika – (hen-DREE-kah) Means “home ruler.”
- Jasmijn – (yas-MEIN) Means “jasmine.”
- Katrien – (kah-TREEN) Means “pure” (Dutch form of Katherine).
- Klaartje – (KLAHR-chuh) Means “clear, bright” (diminutive of Clara).
- Linde – (LIN-duh) Means “soft, tender.”
- Madelief – (MAH-duh-leef) Means “daisy” (from the Dutch word).
- Margriet – (mar-GREET) Means “pearl” (Dutch form of Margaret).
- Merel – (MEH-rul) Means “blackbird” (from the Dutch word).
- Pien – (PEEN) Means “he will add” (diminutive of Josephine).
- Roos – (ROHS) Means “rose” (from the Dutch word).
- Saskia – (SAHS-kee-ah) Means “Saxon.”
- Sterre – (STEH-ruh) Means “star” (from the Dutch word).
- Veerle – (VEER-luh) Means “journey” + “battle” (from older Germanic roots).
- Willemijn – (WIL-uh-mine) Means “will, desire” + “helmet, protection” (feminine form of Willem).
Popular Dutch Girl Names
- Emma – (EH-mah) Means “whole, universal.”
- Esmee – (ez-MAY) Means “esteemed.”
- Lieke – (LEE-kuh) Means “messenger, angel” (diminutive of Angelique and related names).
- Liv – (liv) Means “protection.”
- Luna – (LOO-nah) Means “moon.”
- Mila – (MEE-lah) Means “dear, gracious.”
- Noa – (NO-ah) Means “movement.”
- Noor – (NOR) Means “light.”
- Olivia – (oh-LIV-ee-ah) Means “olive tree.”
- Saar – (SAHR) Means “princess” (Dutch short form of Sarah).
- Sanne – (SAH-nuh) Means “lily” (Dutch short form of Susanna).
- Sofie – (SO-fee) Means “wisdom.”
Finding the Perfect Name for Your Daughter
A quick trick: say the full name out loud in a normal voice, then in your “calling from the other room” voice. If it still feels good, you are on the right track. After that, check the spelling you like most and think about nicknames you will actually use day to day.
If you are torn between two, try writing them down a few times. One usually starts to feel like it belongs to your baby.