What Do You Call Someone From The Netherlands? (Explained!)

Someone from the Netherlands is called Dutch. This is the standard demonym for a person with citizenship in the Netherlands. It is also the term for the ethnic group that comprise the country’s “native” population. The Dutch are also spread far and wide across the world though still connected by ethnic background.

It’s a common cause for confusion, since the name “Netherlands” and the word “Dutch” seem to have no connection to each other.

We will explore all that and more shortly. In general, though, the only word you need to describe a person of Dutch nationality or ethnicity is Dutch.

Let’s find out more.

In This Article

What is someone from the Netherlands called?

Someone from the Netherlands is called Dutch.

This is the standard demonym for a person from the Netherlands.

This sort of question, though, is always a little bit more complex than it might at first seem.

There is a simple answer, and that is that someone from the Netherlands is Dutch.

But if you want to dive more deeply into it, the first thing to consider is the modern invention of the nation state and citizenship.

This is a relatively recent notion, and the Netherlands has undergone a lot of changes in sovereignty over the course of time which has played a part in influencing the identities of the people that lived there.

From the modern point of view, there are multiple ways one might consider themselves Dutch.

The simplest and most obvious is just in the sense of nationality. If you are a citizen of the Netherlands, then you are Dutch.

Equally, if you are born to Dutch parents outside of the Netherlands, then you will doubtless consider yourself Dutch in some way.

On the other hand, if you were born in the Netherlands to non-Dutch parents, you will feel yourself to be Dutch at least to a degree.

Dutch people, furthermore, are an ethnic group.

They can be defined primarily by their ancestry, of course, but also the language they speak.

There are, further, Dutch people found all over the world, who may be separated from the Netherlands itself by centuries, but still feel themselves to be Dutch.

In the sense of nationality, though, again, someone from the Netherlands is called Dutch as well.

So, you can see that it does present a more complex picture than simply “which people are from the Netherlands”.

The Dutch have had huge historical influence on many countries around the world, and so they can be found just about everywhere.

Why, then, is someone from the Netherlands called Dutch?

Why are Netherlands people called Dutch?

The answer to this question is very simple.

The Netherlands, its people and language, are Germanic in tradition, descent, and culture.

The German word for German or Germanic is Deutsche.

Thus, that is Anglicized to Dutch for English speakers.

Dutch is a Germanic language, just as English is, and so this term has developed over time to become much narrower in meaning today.

Originally, Dutch referred to someone from Germany or the Netherlands–or, at least, the areas in which those countries are today found.

The Netherlands as we know it today was established in 1815, before which it had been a part of the Holy Roman Empire.

Because the name was so commonly used up to this time, it became the standard demonym when the country as we know it was formed.

This is a very interesting point, then, since it shows the way that people are defined in such large part by the language they speak.

It’s worth noting that the Dutch don’t use this term to refer to themselves–they use the more intuitive Nederlander.

Where does the name “Netherlands” come from?

The name “Netherlands” relates specifically to the region’s geography.

The literal translation of the name is simply “lower land”, and historically since the time of the Romans distinctions were made between the low lying lands of places like the Netherlands compared with the higher elevations found in neighboring Germany and Switzerland.

The name was said to be first mostly used by Austrians who ruled the area in the 18th Century, in comparison with the mountains of their home country with which they were so familiar.

The name, though, is certainly older than this, and the Austrians may simply have popularized the name.

Is Holland and the Netherlands the same?

One other piece of confusion you might run into is the distinction between Holland and the Netherlands.

To be clear, Holland and the Netherlands are not the same; Netherlands is the country, and Holland is merely a region of the Netherlands.

Granted, it is a very large region of the Netherlands on the country’s west coast, but the whole country is far larger.

Think of Holland as a single state within the Netherlands.

It has been common in the past to refer to the nation of the Netherlands as Holland, but this is as we can see erroneous.

Holland is all in the Netherlands, but it is not all of the Netherlands.

In terms of nomenclature, then, it can at first seem a little complicated. If you want the short solution, then, you just need to refer to people from the Netherlands as Dutch.

Holland is a region rather than a nation, but regardless people from there are going to be Dutch.

The term “Dutch” simply relates to the Germanic origins of the Dutch people–”Deutsch” meaning German.

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Founder - @PollyWebster

Polly Webster is the founder of Foreign Lingo and a seasoned traveler with a decade of exploration under her belt.

Over the past 10 years, she has journeyed to numerous countries around the globe, immersing herself in diverse cultures, traditions, and languages.

Drawing from her rich experiences, Polly now writes insightful articles about travel, languages, traditions, and cultures, sharing her unique perspectives and invaluable tips with her readers.

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