Surname Leeuw - Meaning and Origin

Leeuw: What does the surname Leeuw mean?

The last name Leeuw is of Dutch origin and generally means ‘lion’. This is the Dutch spelling, variations of this surname can also be seen as Lew or Levy. Records of Dutch citizens with this surname stretch back to the 16th century.

The origin of the surname is likely based on the term ‘Dutch Lion’, which was commonly used during the Renaissance period to refer to the country of the Netherlands. Lion imagery can be seen in the Dutch coat of arms, the national sports teams, and even on the flag of the Netherlands.

Notably, the Leeuw surname is found more often in the western province of Netherlands Zeeland. Many Zeelanders trace their ancestry back to the area and the name of the surname links this region to its past.

Although not as common as it once was, there are still many families that today bear the last name Leeuw in different parts of the world. Those who have emigrated may have adopted local variations, such as Lew or Levy, to make their name more internationally recognisable.

Whether an old Dutch family’s roots, or a modern day mutation, the name Leeuw brings with it a strong and distinctive link to Dutch history and culture.

Leeuw: Where does the name Leeuw come from?

The last name Leeuw is most commonly found in the Netherlands and in Flemish parts of Belgium, where it is also the name of a river in Limburg province. It is also popular in South Africa, thanks to the influx of Dutch and Flemish settlers in the 17th and 18th centuries. There are also significant populations of people with the Leeuw surname scattered around the globe, in countries such as England, Australia, Germany, the United States, and Canada.

Leeuw is an old-fashioned spelling of the French word l’eau, meaning “the water”. In the Netherlands, the Leeuw surname may be derived from this word, as it was common to indicate a geographic origin when forming family names in pre-modern times.

The spelling variations of the Leeuw name have changed over the centuries. In Dutch it is sometimes written as Leeuwe, Leuwen, or Leuw; in Flemish it is habitually spelled as Louw, Lowe, or Leue. The same variations of spelling are found in other countries, such as the United States, where the Leeuw surname is sometimes spelled Leuw or Loe.

In more recent times, the popularity of the Leeuw name has dwindled slightly in Flanders due to anglicization of the spelling, but it is still widely found in the same historic areas in the Netherlands and South Africa.

Variations of the surname Leeuw

The surname Leeuw is of Dutch origin, which means "Lion". It is an ancient family name, and has various spellings, variants and surnames of the same origin.

The most common alternate spelling of the surname Leeuw is Lew. This variant originated in Germany and is pronounced several different ways. In other countries, such as the Netherlands, the spelling is usually the same as Leeuw.

Variants of Leeuw include Leij, Leuw, Leijen, Ley, Leijon, Lie, Lièw, Lieuwe, Leouw, Leyen, Leue, Louwe, and Louwen.

In some cases, the -uw spelling is simply a relic of older orthographical conventions that have since changed. Other variants of this surname are slightly different in spelling, but still contain the same root of "Lion". These different spellings often arise from different regional pronunciations, as people in some places would be more likely to either soften or harden certain sounds when speaking.

There are many surnames of similar origin that have evolved from the surname Leeuw. These include Leley, Lei, Liewer, Lue, Louwer, Luw, and Louis.

In France, some variations of the surname Leeuw come from the Latin word leo in the plural form leones, meaning "Lions". Variations ending in -on are most common in France and include Leon, Leons, Leonts, Leonce, Leont, and Leonis.

The surname Leeuw can also be combined with other surnames. Common surnames combined with Leeuw include Leijtens, Leeuwenhoek, Leeuwesteijn, and Leyten.

Famous people with the name Leeuw

• Remko Leeuw: famous Dutch water polo player
• Erik Leeuw: an Austrian stage and film actor
• Jan Leeuw: a Dutch jurist and former chief executive of the Dutch Council of State
• Erica Leeuws: a Canadian actress
• Arend Jan Leeuw: Dutch screenwriter, TV producer, and children's author
• Annelies Leeuw: Dutch sculptor and founding member of the artistic collective Magpie
• Catrien Leeuw: the mayor of Alphen aan den Rijn, Netherlands
• Michiel Leeuw: a Dutch composer and music professor
• Wilhelmina (Mina) Leeuw: a 19th-century Dutch women's rights activist
• Johannes Hendricus Leeuw: a Dutch philosopher and theologian

Other surnames

LeeuweLeeuwen