Dirk History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

Origins Available:
Netherlands

Early Origins of the Dirk family

The surname Dirk 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 North Holland, a province of the Netherlands. The principal cities are Amsterdam, Haarlem and Hilversum. It was the seat of the old Counts of Holland. Seat of one of the oldest families is Brederode Castle near Haarlem. There are many old and quaint towns in the province. including Medemblik, Enkhuizen, Hoorn, Edam, and Monnikendam. 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 Dirk family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Dirk research. Another 73 words (5 lines of text) covering the year 1846 is included under the topic Early Dirk History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Dirk Spelling Variations

Spelling variations of this family name include: Dirk, Dirke, Dirkes, Dirks, Dirck, Durk, Durck, Durke, van Dirk, Dirike, Dierkes and many more.

Early Notables of the Dirk family

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

the Dirk family of Hoorn

Dirk migration to the United States +

Some of the first settlers of this family name were:

Dirk Settlers in United States in the 19th Century

Gesina Dirk, aged 30, who arrived in New York, NY in 1847 1
H J Dirk, who landed in New York, NY in 1850 1

Contemporary Notables of the name Dirk (post 1700) +

Robert Dirk (b. 1966), retired Canadian NHL ice hockey defenceman from Regina, Saskatchewan
Lieuwe Dirk Boonstra (1905-1975), South African palaeontologist whose work focused on the mammal-like reptiles
Ruurd Dirk Hoogland (1922-1994), Dutch explorer and botanist
Jan Dirk Breytenbach DVR SD SM MMM (b. 1933), founder of the South African Special Forces Brigade
Koene Dirk Parmentier, Dutch KLM chief pilot, one of the winners of the MacRobertson Air Race; he piloted the KLM Lockheed L-049 Constellation airliner when it crashed on 20 October 1948 where all 40 aboard died, an investigation found that much of the cause was to do with faulty dated charts and poor weather
Yancey Dirk Thigpen (b. 1969), American NFL football wide receiver who played from 1991 to 2000
Dennis Dirk Blocker (b. 1957), American actor
Dirk Jacob "Dik" Wolfson (1933-2025), Dutch economist, civil servant and politician who worked at the International Monetary Fund and the Dtuch Ministry of Finance, served two stints as a professor at the Erasmus University Rotterdam (1975-1986 and 1993-1998), rector of the International Institute of Social Studies (1986-1990), member of the Senate of the Netherlands for the Labour Party (1999-2003)
Dirk Bus (1907-1978), Dutch sculptor
Dirk Boonstra (1893-1944), Dutch police commander for the village of Grijpskerk, during World War II

Sources +

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)