Top 10 Funny Dutch Place Names
by Arthur
Posted on Friday, January 27th, 2006 at 7:30 am CET
There are over 7,000 different towns in the Netherlands and some of them have very funny names. Here are some of my favorite ones (in random order).
Place (Province)
Translation
Wijk Bij Duurstede (Utrecht)
Neighborhood Near Duurstede (‘expensive place’). Duurstede is the name of the nearby castle/ruin, where the bishop of Utrecht used to live.
Doodstil (Groningen)
Dead Quiet (as in ‘you could hear a pin drop’) was voted the most beautiful place name in 2005. From that award so many people started visiting the town that locals complained about it not being quiet anymore. The name means Dood’s (a person’s name) Bridge (’til’ is an old word for bridge).
Muggenbeet (Overijssel)
Mosquito Bite is a popular tourist destination, with the National Park De Weerribben nearby.
Monster (Zuid Holland)
Monster, a not-so-scary place on the North Sea, probably gets its name from “Monasterium”, the Latin name for monastery.
Made (Noord Brabant)
Maggot near Breda in the south of the country has a population of around 12,000. Its name appeared for the first time in 1321 and referes to ‘gemeenschappelijk maai- of hooiland’, or communal mow/hay field’.
De Laatste Stuiver (Friesland)
The Last Nickel is named De Laatste Stuver in Frisian and is a very small place in the north of the country with reportedly only three houses.
Hongerige Wolf (Groningen)
Hungry Wolf is a one-horse town in the far north-east of the country. It is famous for its 1924 sluice.
Moddergat (Friesland)
Mud Hole is home to open-air museum ‘t Fiskershoske which exhibits 18th/19th centuries cottages that are linked to the old inshore fishing industry.
De Hulk (Noord Holland)
The Hulk is part of the municipality of Wester-Koggenland (north of Amsterdam) with a population of 13,757.
Vuilpan (Zeeland)
Dirty Pan lies in the far south-west of the country.
Posted on Friday, January 27th, 2006 at 7:30 am CET
There are over 7,000 different towns in the Netherlands and some of them have very funny names. Here are some of my favorite ones (in random order).
| Place (Province) | Translation |
| Wijk Bij Duurstede (Utrecht) | Neighborhood Near Duurstede (‘expensive place’). Duurstede is the name of the nearby castle/ruin, where the bishop of Utrecht used to live. |
| Doodstil (Groningen) | Dead Quiet (as in ‘you could hear a pin drop’) was voted the most beautiful place name in 2005. From that award so many people started visiting the town that locals complained about it not being quiet anymore. The name means Dood’s (a person’s name) Bridge (’til’ is an old word for bridge). |
| Muggenbeet (Overijssel) | Mosquito Bite is a popular tourist destination, with the National Park De Weerribben nearby. |
| Monster (Zuid Holland) | Monster, a not-so-scary place on the North Sea, probably gets its name from “Monasterium”, the Latin name for monastery. |
| Made (Noord Brabant) | Maggot near Breda in the south of the country has a population of around 12,000. Its name appeared for the first time in 1321 and referes to ‘gemeenschappelijk maai- of hooiland’, or communal mow/hay field’. |
| De Laatste Stuiver (Friesland) | The Last Nickel is named De Laatste Stuver in Frisian and is a very small place in the north of the country with reportedly only three houses. |
| Hongerige Wolf (Groningen) | Hungry Wolf is a one-horse town in the far north-east of the country. It is famous for its 1924 sluice. |
| Moddergat (Friesland) | Mud Hole is home to open-air museum ‘t Fiskershoske which exhibits 18th/19th centuries cottages that are linked to the old inshore fishing industry. |
| De Hulk (Noord Holland) | The Hulk is part of the municipality of Wester-Koggenland (north of Amsterdam) with a population of 13,757. |
| Vuilpan (Zeeland) | Dirty Pan lies in the far south-west of the country. |
9:50 am
Hello. I live in Cos Cob, Connecticut, a village near New York City which was under Dutch control from 1640 until 1656 or so. Can you suggest the origin of the name Cos Cob?