Dykstra
Encyclopedia
Dijkstra and Dykstra are Dutch
surname
s. "Dykes
" is a variation of the English place name, and describes a man who lived by a dyke. The suffix "-stra" is derived from old Germanic
-sater, meaning sitter or dweller.
The name originates in the northern Netherlands
province of Friesland
(frees-LAN). The name was originally spelled "Dijkstra." The name was "Americanized" to Dykstra after Frisian settlers arrived and settled in the United States. Many immigrants bearing the Dykstra surname arrived in the United States
between 1840 and 1900, well before the United States experienced "waves of immigration." Most Dykstras were farmers and all belonged to the Dutch Reformed, and later the Christian Reformed Church
. Large waves of emigrants also migrated to Brazil, namely to the town of Carambei. The Dykstra/Dijkstra family was integral to the settlement of the area and for the introduction of modern farming practices.
Many Dykstras settled in Michigan
, Illinois
, Iowa
, California
, New York
, and New Jersey
. Many eventually grew away from farming and settled in cities like Grand Rapids, Michigan
, Holland, Michigan
, and Chicago
, Illinois. They became a very successful bunch in businesses such as medicine, dentistry, waste management, banking, and architecture.
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
s. "Dykes
Dykes (surname)
Dykes is a British surname which may originate from the hamlet of Dykesfield in Burgh-by-Sands, Cumbria in the north of England. Due to its close proximity to the English and Scottish borders, the surname Dykes has also been found in Scottish lowlands throughout the ages.The first family to bear...
" is a variation of the English place name, and describes a man who lived by a dyke. The suffix "-stra" is derived from old Germanic
Germanic languages
The Germanic languages constitute a sub-branch of the Indo-European language family. The common ancestor of all of the languages in this branch is called Proto-Germanic , which was spoken in approximately the mid-1st millennium BC in Iron Age northern Europe...
-sater, meaning sitter or dweller.
The name originates in the northern Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
province of Friesland
Friesland
Friesland is a province in the north of the Netherlands and part of the ancient region of Frisia.Until the end of 1996, the province bore Friesland as its official name. In 1997 this Dutch name lost its official status to the Frisian Fryslân...
(frees-LAN). The name was originally spelled "Dijkstra." The name was "Americanized" to Dykstra after Frisian settlers arrived and settled in the United States. Many immigrants bearing the Dykstra surname arrived in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
between 1840 and 1900, well before the United States experienced "waves of immigration." Most Dykstras were farmers and all belonged to the Dutch Reformed, and later the Christian Reformed Church
Christian Reformed Church in North America
The Christian Reformed Church in North America is a Protestant Christian denomination in the United States and Canada. Having roots in the Dutch Reformed churches of the Netherlands, the Christian Reformed Church was founded by Gijsbert Haan and Dutch immigrants who left the Reformed Church in...
. Large waves of emigrants also migrated to Brazil, namely to the town of Carambei. The Dykstra/Dijkstra family was integral to the settlement of the area and for the introduction of modern farming practices.
Many Dykstras settled in Michigan
Michigan
Michigan is a U.S. state located in the Great Lakes Region of the United States of America. The name Michigan is the French form of the Ojibwa word mishigamaa, meaning "large water" or "large lake"....
, Illinois
Illinois
Illinois is the fifth-most populous state of the United States of America, and is often noted for being a microcosm of the entire country. With Chicago in the northeast, small industrial cities and great agricultural productivity in central and northern Illinois, and natural resources like coal,...
, Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, and New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
. Many eventually grew away from farming and settled in cities like Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
, Holland, Michigan
Holland, Michigan
Holland is a city in the western region of the Lower Peninsula of the U.S. state of Michigan. It is situated near the eastern shore of Lake Michigan on Lake Macatawa, which is fed by the Macatawa River ....
, and Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
, Illinois. They became a very successful bunch in businesses such as medicine, dentistry, waste management, banking, and architecture.
See also
- B.D. DykstraB.D. DykstraBroer Doekeles Dykstra was a Dutch American pastor, educator, and poet who wrote several books, served as editor of the Volkskrant Dutch-language newspaper, and was a visible member of the Reformed Church in America...
, early 20th century church leader - Edsger DijkstraEdsger DijkstraEdsger Wybe Dijkstra ; ) was a Dutch computer scientist. He received the 1972 Turing Award for fundamental contributions to developing programming languages, and was the Schlumberger Centennial Chair of Computer Sciences at The University of Texas at Austin from 1984 until 2000.Shortly before his...
, Dutch computer scientist - John DykstraJohn DykstraJohn Charles Dykstra, A.S.C. is an Academy Award-winning special effects supervisor and pioneer in the development of the use of computers in filmmaking.-Education and early career:...
, motion picture special effects pioneer - Kenny Dykstra, stage name of Ken Doane, WWEWorld Wrestling EntertainmentWorld Wrestling Entertainment, Inc. is an American publicly traded, privately controlled entertainment company dealing primarily in professional wrestling, with major revenue sources also coming from film, music, product licensing, and direct product sales...
wrestler - Lenny DykstraLenny DykstraLeonard Kyle "Lenny" Dykstra , nicknamed "Nails" and "Dude", is a former Major League Baseball center fielder. Dykstra played for the New York Mets during the late 1980s before playing for the Philadelphia Phillies during the early 1990s....
, former Major League Baseball player - Rick DykstraRick DykstraRichard "Rick" Dykstra is a Canadian politician. He was elected to the Canadian House of Commons in the 2006 federal election, for the Ontario riding of St. Catharines. Dykstra is a member of the Conservative Party of Canada...
, Canadian Member of Parliament - DijkstraDijkstraDijkstra is a Dutch family name that may refer to:* Edsger W. Dijkstra , computer scientist** Dijkstra's algorithm, conceived by Edsger Dijkstra is a graph search algorithm that solves the single-source shortest path problem...
, for a list of people with that surname