List of Dutch Americans
The first Dutch settlers arrived in America in 1624 and founded a number of villages, a town called New Amsterdam and the Colony of New Netherland on the East Coast. New Amsterdam became New York when the Treaty of Breda was signed in 1667. According to the 2006 United States Census, more than 5 million Americans claim total or partial Dutch heritage. Today the majority of the Dutch Americans live in the U.S. states of California, New York, Michigan, Iowa, Washington, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Montana, Ohio and Pennsylvania.
This is a list of notable Dutch Americans, including both original immigrants who obtained American citizenship and Americans of full or partial Dutch ancestry.
List
Arts and literature
- Earl W. Bascom, artist, sculptor, inventor, author, known as the "dean of rodeo cowboy sculpture"
- Edward W. Bok, author, publisher, editor of Ladies Home Journal
- Pearl S. Buck, writer and novelist, first American woman to win the Nobel Prize in Literature
- Willem de Kooning, abstract expressionist painter
- Peter DeVries, author and editor; wrote Tunnel of Love; editor and staffer for Poetry magazine and The New Yorker
- Barthold Fles, literary agent, author, editor, translator and publisher
- Charles Fort, author, wrote Book of the Damned, father of ufology, cryptozoology and critic/satirist of mainstream, dogmatic science
- Frederick Franck, painter, sculptor, and author of 30 books who was known for his interest in human spirituality
- Marius Jansen, American academic, historian, and Emeritus Professor of Japanese History at Princeton University.
- Herman Melville, author and poet, wrote Moby Dick
- Milton J. Nieuwsma, author, film writer and producer
- Erwin Timmers, Dutch-American environmental "green artist", glass sculptor and teacher
- Raeburn van Buren, magazine and comic strip illustrator best known for his work on the syndicated Abbie an' Slats
- Wallace Stevens, modernist poet
- Edward Stratemeyer,, author
- Janwillem van de Wetering, Dutch-American author of police procedurals, Zen autobiographies and children's books
- Philip Van Doren Stern, author
- Hendrik Willem Van Loon, author, historian and journalist
- Gloria Vanderbilt, artist and socialite
- Walt Whitman, poet
- Jeff VanderMeer, author
Entertainment
- Christina Aguilera, singer, actress and model, partly of Dutch descent through her mother
- Alison Brie, actress, partly of Dutch descent through her father
- Dan Aykroyd, actor
- Reiko Aylesworth, actress, best known for playing Michelle Dessler in the television series 24
- Earl Bascom, cowboy actor in "Lawless Rider" and a descendant of the Coerten and Cos families of New Jersey
- Aaron Paul, actor
- Carmit Bachar, member of the Pussycat Dolls, born to an Israeli father and Dutch-Indonesian mother
- Shannon Bex, member of Danity Kane; of Scottish and Dutch descent
- Moon Bloodgood, actress
- Humphrey Bogart, actor
- Hobart Bosworth, actor, director, writer and producer
- Michelle Branch, singer
- Marlon Brando, Hollywood film actor; father was of partial Dutch ancestry
- Lesley-Ann Brandt
- Clancy Brown, actor
- Steve Buscemi, actor, writer and director, mother had some Dutch ancestry
- Captain Beefheart, stage name of musician and artist Don Van Vliet
- David Carradine, actor, distant Dutch ancestry
- Ever Carradine, actress and daughter of Robert Carradine, distant Dutch ancestry
- John Carradine, actor, distant Dutch ancestry; descended from Dutch diamond merchant Kiliaen van Rensselaer, who settled the province of Albany, New York, in the seventeenth century
- Keith Carradine, actor and son of John Carradine, distant Dutch ancestry
- Robert Carradine, actor, distant Dutch ancestry
- Montgomery Clift, actor, of partial maternal Dutch ancestry
- Wilhelmina Cooper, model who began with Ford Models; at the peak of her success she founded her own agency, Wilhelmina Models
- Jan de Bont, film director, producer and cinematographer
- Robert De Niro, two-time Academy Award-winning actor, mother of part Dutch descent
- Dane DeHaan, film actor, paternal great-grandfather was of Dutch descent
- Thomas Dekker, actor, his paternal great-grandfather was of Dutch descent
- Cecil B. DeMille, film director and producer
- Emily Deschanel, actress best known for her role as Dr. Temperance "Bones" Brennan in the comedy-crime drama series Bones, distant Dutch ancestry
- Zooey Deschanel, actress, distant Dutch ancestry
- Joyce DeWitt, actress
- Michael Douglas, actor and producer who won four Golden Globes and two Academy Awards, distant Dutch ancestry on mother's side
- Clint Eastwood, Academy Award-winning film actor, director and producer, distant Dutch ancestry
- Kurt Cobain, singer, guitarist, Dutch ancestry from his mother
- Frances Farmer, film actress, her mother was of Dutch ancestry
- Melissa Ferlaak, soprano singer and vocal coach, distant Dutch ancestry
- Nina Foch, film actress, father was from the Netherlands
- Bridget Fonda, actress, daughter of Peter Fonda, best known for her roles in The Godfather Part III and Jackie Brown, father of part Dutch descent
- Henry Fonda, Academy Award-winning film actor, father of Peter and Jane Fonda, was of part Dutch descent
- Jane Fonda, Academy Award-winning actress, daughter of Henry Fonda, father was of part Dutch descent
- Peter Fonda, actor, best known for his role as "Wyatt" in the 1960s counterculture classic Easy Rider, father was of part Dutch descent
- Ace Frehley, musician, Dutch on paternal side
- G-Eazy,, rapper
- Troy Garity, actor; son of Jane Fonda; best known for his roles in the television movie Soldier's Girl and the Barbershop films
- Janina Gavankar, actress of Indian and Dutch ancestry
- George Gaynes, actor and singer, father was Dutch
- Lauren German, film actress
- Paul Giamatti, actor, distant Dutch ancestry
- Mark-Paul Gosselaar, actor, perhaps best known for his role as Zack Morris on NBC's Saved by the Bell; his father is of Dutch Jewish and German descent, and his mother is of Dutch-Indonesian descent
- Lucas Grabeel, American actor, distant Dutch ancestry, best known for his role as Ryan Evans in High School Musical
- Betty Grable, actress, singer, dancer and pin-up girl whose sensational bathing-suit photo became the number one pinup of the World War II era
- Bella Hadid, model
- Gigi Hadid, model
- Rebecca Hall, maternal grandmother was Dutch
- Philip Seymour Hoffman, actor, distant Dutch ancestry
- Whitney Houston, actor, singer, distant Dutch ancestry
- Bryce Dallas Howard, actress; daughter of director Ron Howard; distant Dutch ancestry
- Clint Howard, actor and brother of director Ron Howard, distant Dutch ancestry
- Ron Howard, Academy Award-winning director, producer and actor, best known for directing Apollo 13, How the Grinch Stole Christmas and A Beautiful Mind, distant Dutch ancestry
- Michiel Huisman, actor, musician, singer-songwriter, best known for his roles in Game of Thrones and The Age of Adaline
- Noname Jane, pornographic actress
- Laura Jansen, singer-songwriter
- Famke Janssen, fashion model and actress, best known for her roles as Bond girl Xenia Onatopp in GoldenEye, Jean Grey in the X-Men film series, and Lenore Mills in Taken and Taken 2
- Angelina Jolie, actress; her mother had French Canadian, German, and Dutch ancestry
- Kylie Jenner, reality star, social media personality and socialite best known for her best seller makeup line Kylie Cosmetics
- Charles Judels, actor
- Kim Kardashian, actress and model; appeared in Disaster Movie; distant Dutch ancestry
- Kris Kristofferson, actor and singer
- Eva LaRue, actress of Scottish, French, and Dutch ancestry; played Dr. Maria Santos on All My Children, and CSI: Miami detective Natalia Boa Vista
- Taylor Lautner, actor, best known from his role as Jacob Black in the Twilight Saga film series, has some Dutch ancestry
- Kellan Lutz, actor, small amount of Dutch ancestry
- Tim McGraw, country singer, small amount of Dutch ancestry
- Meghan Markle, actress, model and humanitarian, of part Dutch descent on her father's side
- Leighton Meester, actress, best known for her role as Blair Waldorf in Gossip Girl, of part Dutch descent on father's side
- Wentworth Miller, actor and model best known his role as Michael Scofield on the television series Prison Break, small amount of Dutch ancestry
- Steve Oedekerk, actor and comedian, paternal grandfather was Afrikaner of Dutch descent
- Colonel Tom Parker, manager of Elvis Presley
- Michelle Pfeiffer, actress, best known for her roles in Scarface, Dangerous Liaisons, The Fabulous Baker Boys, Batman Returns and Grease 2; paternal grandmother was of part Dutch descent,
- Ryan Potter, actor; mother of part Dutch descent
- Bill Pullman, actor, best known for his roles in Ruthless People, Spaceballs, Independence Day, While You Were Sleeping and Lost Highway; maternal grandparents were Dutch
- Jason Ritter, actor, distant Dutch ancestry
- John Ritter, actor, distant Dutch ancestry
- Rebecca Romijn, actress and fashion model, best known for her role as Mystique in the X-Men film series, of 3/4 Dutch descent
- Thelma Schoonmaker, three-time Academy Award-winning film editor, best known for editing all of Martin Scorsese's movies since Raging Bull, of part Dutch ancestry
- Jane Seymour, actress; best known as Bond girl in Live and Let Die and as Dr. Quinn Medicine Woman; has a Dutch mother
- Michael Sinterniklaas, voice actor and founder of NYAV Post, a New York recording studio
- Jimmy Smits, Golden Globe and Emmy-winning actor; half Dutch, half Puerto Rican
- Cobie Smulders, actress and model of Dutch and English descent
- Martin Spanjers, actor best known for playing Rory Hennessy on the sitcom 8 Simple Rules
- Bruce Springsteen, singer-songwriter, distant Dutch ancestry
- Carel Struycken, film actor
- Taylor Swift, country and pop singer, distant Dutch ancestry
- Lou Tellegen, film actor
- Shirley Temple, actress
- Charlize Theron, South African actress of German, Dutch and French descent, now naturalized citizen of the United States
- Egbert Van Alstyne, songwriter and pianist
- Louis van Amstel, professional dancer, choreographer, dancesport coach
- Amedee J. Van Beuren, film producer
- Lee Van Cleef, WWII warhero, painter and film actor, best known for his parts as a villain in Spaghetti Western movies. Both parents were of Dutch descent
- Anneliese van der Pol, television actress, perhaps best known for her role as Chelsea Daniels in the Disney Channel original comedy series, That's So Raven
- Grace VanderWaal, singer and musician
- Casper Van Dien, actor, of part Dutch descent
- Barry Van Dyke, actor and son of Dick Van Dyke
- Dick Van Dyke, famous television and film star; brother of Jerry Van Dyke
- Jerry Van Dyke, television actor; brother of Dick Van Dyke
- W. S. Van Dyke, director
- Alex Van Halen, drummer and founding member of the hard rock band Van Halen
- Eddie Van Halen, guitarist and founding member of the hard rock band Van Halen
- Dick Van Patten, actor of part Dutch descent
- Tim Van Patten, director, producer, actor and screenwriter
- Gus Van Sant, director
- Edward Van Sloan, actor
- Andrew Van Wyngarden, musician of Dutch descent
- Billy Van Zandt, playwright, actor
- Philip Van Zandt, Broadway and Hollywood actor
- Townes Van Zandt, country-folk music singer-songwriter, performer, and poet
- Donnie Van Zant, founder and singer of .38 Special
- Johnny Van Zant, lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd since 1987
- Ronnie Van Zant, lead singer of Lynyrd Skynyrd from 1970 to 1977
- Paul Verhoeven, film director
- Donald Voorhees, composer and conductor
- Dionne Warwick, singer, actress and TV show host; became a United Nations Global Ambassador for the Food and Agriculture Organization and a United States Ambassador of Health; distant Dutch ancestry
- Brandon deWilde, American theater, film, and television actor
- Rainn Wilson, actor of Dutch descent through mother
- Kristen Schaal, actress and comedian of Dutch Lutheran descent
- Steven Seagal, actor, of Dutch descent through his mother
- Noah Centineo, actor, To All the Boys I've Loved Before & Sierra Burgess Is a Loser. He is of Dutch descent.
- Lauren German, actress, Lucifer (TV series). She has a paternal grandfather who was Dutch and born in Amsterdam circa 1909.
- Lesley-Ann Brandt ), actress, Lucifer (TV series). Of Dutch descent together with German, Spanish and Indian.
Journalism
- Rachel Maddow, MSNBC journalist, paternal grandmother is of Dutch descent
- Anderson Cooper, CNN journalist, mother is Dutch-American socialite Gloria Vanderbilt
- Walter Cronkite, CBS Evening News journalist
- Watson Spoelstra, sportswriter for the Detroit News, grandfather of Erik Spoelstra
- Greta Van Susteren, Fox News journalist
- Michiel Vos, journalist, made documentary ''Diary of a Political Tourist''
Military
- Cornplanter, Seneca war chief who fought in the French and Indian War and the American Revolutionary War. Great-grandson of Johannes Abeel.
- Eugene DeBruin, USAF sergeant; disappeared over Laos in 1968
- Franklin Van Valkenburgh, served as the last captain of the USS Arizona (BB-39). He was honored posthumously with a Medal of Honor following his death during the Attack on Pearl Harbor.
- John L. DeWitt, US four-star general during World War II
- John Bell Hood, Confederate general during the American Civil War
- James Longstreet, Confederate Lieutenant-General in the American Civil War
- Jack Robert Lousma, retired United States Marine Corps colonel, aeronautical engineer, NASA astronaut, and politician
- Thomas S. Moorman, United States Air Force Academy
- Thomas S. Moorman Jr., Vice Chief of Staff of the United States Air Force
- David Petraeus, US four-star general; commander in Iraq in 2007; his father is an immigrant from the Netherlands
- Theodore Roosevelt Jr., US brigadier general; Medal of Honor; fought in both world wars
- Henry Rutgers, American Revolutionary War hero
- Robert M. Shoemaker, US four-star general during the Vietnam War
- Eric Schoomaker, US three-star general; Surgeon General of the United States Army
- Peter Schoomaker, US four-star general; Chief of Staff of the United States Army
- Philip John Schuyler, general in the American Revolution and US Senator from New York
- Earl Van Dorn, Confederate general during the American Civil War
- James Van Fleet, US four-star general; Army general during World War II and the Korean War
- Cortlandt Van Rensselaer Schuyler, US Army four-star general; served as chief of staff of Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers Europe from 1953 to 1959
- Daniel Van Voorhis, United States Army lieutenant general
- Isaac Van Wart, militiaman from the state of New York during the American Revolution; in 1780, he participated in the capture of Major John André
- Alexander Archer Vandegrift, US four-star general; Medal of Honor; 18th commandant of the US Marine Corps
- Hoyt Sanford Vandenberg, US four-star general during World War II; second chief of staff of US Air Force Director Central Intelligence Agency
- Jocko Willink, US Navy SEAL retired officer, podcaster and author
Politics
- Johannes Abeel, second and thirteenth Mayor of Albany, New York
- Egbert Benson, Founding Father of the United States
- Jacob Brinkerhoff, United States Representative from Ohio
- George H. W. Bush, 41st President of the United States
- George P. Bush, current Commissioner of the Texas General Land Office
- George W. Bush, 43rd President of the United States
- Jeb Bush, Governor of Florida
- Prescott Bush, Senator from Connecticut
- Hillary Clinton, wife of Bill Clinton; 67th United States Secretary of State
- Charles Croswell, Governor of Michigan
- Ivo Daalder, 20th United States Permanent Representative to NATO
- Harry DeBoer, Trotskyist trade union leader
- Dick DeVos, Republican candidate for Governor of Michigan
- Frank Ellsworth Doremus, United States Representative from Michigan
- Hamilton Fish, 26th United States Secretary of State
- Rodney Frelinghuysen, United States Representative from New Jersey
- Todd Gloria, member of the San Diego City Council
- Warren G. Harding, 29th President of the United States
- John Hickenlooper, 42nd Governor of Colorado and US Senator
- Pete Hoekstra,, United States Representative from Michigan, United States Ambassador to the Netherlands, and United States Ambassador to Canada
- John Hoeven, United States Senator from North Dakota
- Harold G. Hoffman, 41st Governor of New Jersey
- Bill Huizenga, United States Representative from Michigan
- Kenny Hulshof, United States Representative from Missouri
- Robert H. Jackson, 74th Associate Justice of the Supreme Court
- John Jay, Founding Father of the United States, United States Secretary of State and 1st Chief Justice of the United States
- Bartel J. Jonkman, United States Representative from Michigan
- Martin Kalbfleisch, United States Representative from New York
- Thomas Kean, 48th Governor of New Jersey
- Herman Knickerbocker, United States Representative from New York
- John Lindsay, Mayor of New York City and United States Representative from New York
- Bob Livingston, United States Representative from Louisiana
- Henry Demarest Lloyd, progressive political activist
- David Mathews, last Mayor of New York City of British North America during the American Revolution
- Peter Meijer, United States Representative from Michigan
- Elizabeth Monroe, wife of James Monroe; of paternal English and maternal Dutch ancestry
- John Moorlach, California State Senator, Chair of the Orange County, California Board of Supervisors, Orange County, California Treasurer-Tax Collector
- Dave Mulder, State Senator from Iowa
- A. J. Muste, socialist militant active in the pacifist movement, labor movement and U.S. civil rights movement
- William Penn, founder of Philadelphia
- Dick Posthumus, 61st Lieutenant Governor of Michigan
- John V. L. Pruyn, United States Representative from New York
- Eleanor Roosevelt, wife of Franklin D. Roosevelt
- Franklin D. Roosevelt, 32nd President of the United States
- Theodore Roosevelt, 26th President of the United States
- Marge Roukema, United States Representative from New Jersey
- Albert Janse Ryckman, Mayor of Albany, New York; prominent Brewer; captain of the Albany Malitia
- Philip Schuyler, general in the American Revolutionary War; United States Senator from New York
- Alan K. Simpson, United States Senator from Wyoming
- Kyrsten Sinema, United States Congresswoman and US Senator from Arizona
- Peter Stuyvesant, Director-General of the colony of New Amsterdam
- Fred Thompson, U.S. Senator and actor
- George Bell Timmerman Jr., Governor of South Carolina
- Martin Van Buren, 8th President of the United States
- Jacobus Van Cortlandt, two-time Mayor of New York City
- Pierre Van Cortlandt, 1st Lieutenant Governor of New York
- Stephanus Van Cortlandt, first native-born Mayor of New York City, grandfather of Pierre van Cortlandt
- John Van de Kamp, Attorney General of California
- Chris Van Hollen, United States Senator from Maryland
- Espy Van Horne, United States Representative from Pennsylvania
- Isaac B. Van Houten, United States Representative from New York
- Cornelius P. Van Ness, 10th Governor of Vermont and Envoy Extraordinary and Minister Plenipotentiary to the Kingdom of Spain
- Frederick Van Nuys, United States Senator from Indiana
- Stephen Van Rensselaer, 2nd Lieutenant Governor of New York and one of the richest Americans ever to have lived
- Matt Van Swol, conservative activist and former nuclear scientist
- Robert B. Van Valkenburgh, United States Representative from New York
- Murray Van Wagoner, United States Representative from New York
- Robert Anderson Van Wyck, first Mayor of New York City after the consolidation of the five boroughs into the City of New York in 1898
- Cornelius Van Wyck Lawrence, first popularly elected Mayor of New York City
- Tim Van Zandt, United States Representative from Missouri
- Arthur Vandenberg, United States Senator from Michigan
- Guy Vander Jagt, United States Representative from Michigan
- Richard Vander Veen, United States Representative from Michigan
- William Henry Vanderbilt III, Governor of Rhode Island
- Daniel C. Verplanck, United States Representative from New York
- Daniel W. Voorhees, United States Senator from Indiana
- Peter Dumont Vroom, Democratic Party politician
- Victor Vroom, business school professor at the Yale School of Management
- Henry C. Warmoth, Governor of Louisiana
- Jacob Aaron Westervelt, shipbuilder and Mayor of New York City
Sciences
- George David Birkhoff, mathematician
- Nicolaas Bloembergen, physicist
- Hendrik Wade Bode, engineer, inventor, and a pioneer of modern control theory
- Bart J. Bok, astronomer, director of Steward Observatory
- Dirk Brouwer, astronomer
- Theodore Gill, ichthyologist, mammalogist, malacologist, and librarian
- Samuel Abraham Goudsmit, physicist famous for jointly proposing the concept of electron spin with
- Richard Hamming, mathematician
- Anthony Heinsbergen, muralist considered the foremost designer of North American movie theatre interiors
- John Houbolt, aerospace engineer, Apollo 11 route planner
- Arend Lijphart, political scientist
- Willem Johan Kolff, inventor of hemodialysis treatment
- Gerard Peter Kuiper, astronomer
- Willem Jacob Luyten, astronomer
- Robert Moog, a pioneer of electronic music and inventor of the Moog synthesizer
- Henry Augustus Rowland, physicist, served as the first president of the American Physical Society
- Jan Schilt, Dutch-born astronomer, inventor of the Schilt photometer, Rutherford Professor of Astronomy at Columbia University
- Maarten Schmidt, Dutch-born astronomer who measured the distances of astronomical objects called quasars
- Hubert Schoemaker, chemist and biotechnological pioneer
- Benjamin Spock, paediatrician and author of Baby and Child Care
- James Van Allen, astronomer for whom the Van Allen belt is named
- Robert J. Van de Graaff, physicist, developed the Van de Graaff generator
- Peter van de Kamp, astronomer
- Lodewijk van den Berg, chemical engineer and astronaut, payload specialist STS-51B Space Shuttle Challenger
- Willard Van Orman Quine, logician and philosopher
- George Eugene Uhlenbeck, theoretical physicist known for his contributions to quantum mechanics and statistical mechanics
- John Hasbrouck Van Vleck, physicist
- Albert Vander Veer, surgeon
- Mary van Kleeck, social scientist, feminist, and economic researcher
Businessmen
- Cornelius Vanderbilt, founder of Vanderbilt University
- Thomas Edison, inventor and businessman; his father was of Dutch descent
- Anthony Fokker, aviation pioneer and aircraft manufacturer
- Wayne Huizenga, businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist
- Hank Meijer, CEO US supermarket chain Meijer
Sports
- David Aardsma, Major League Baseball player currently with the Seattle Mariners
- Don Ackerman, NBA player
- Rick Adelman, NBA player and head coach
- Lance Armstrong, professional cyclist
- Earl W. Bascom, Hall of Fame rodeo champion and rodeo pioneer known as the "father of modern rodeo."
- Odell Beckham Jr., NFL player; mother is part Dutch
- Hank Beenders, NBA player
- Bert Blyleven, Major League Baseball player, born in the Netherlands
- Carmella, professional wrestler
- Matt den Dekker, Major League Baseball center fielder
- Vern Den Herder, NFL defensive end with Miami Dolphins 1971–82, two-time Super Bowl champ
- Sergiño Dest, soccer player
- Lenny Dykstra, award-winning professional baseball player
- Robert Eenhoorn, Major League Baseball; played for New York Yankees, Anaheim Angels and New York Mets
- Rikkert Faneyte, Major League Baseball player from 1993 to 1996 for the San Francisco Giants and Texas Rangers
- Matt Grevers, Olympic swimmer
- Cole Hamels, Major League Baseball pitcher currently with the Texas Rangers
- Harald Hasselbach, NFL player
- Shea Hillenbrand, Major League Baseball player
- Jim Kaat, Major League Baseball pitcher, three-time All Star, 16-time Gold Glove winner, and television broadcaster
- Kyle Korver, NBA basketball player
- Arie Luyendyk, auto racing driver, twice winner of the Indianapolis 500
- Mark Mulder, Major League Baseball pitcher
- Swen Nater, ABA and NBA player, the only player ever to lead both the NBA and ABA in rebounding
- Kirk Nieuwenhuis, Major League Baseball player for the Milwaukee Brewers
- Diamond Dallas Page, professional wrestler
- Jay Riemersma, NFL player for the Buffalo Bills
- Bas Rutten, MMA fighter and color commentator
- Ryan Sheckler, skateboarder
- Jack Sikma, Hall of Fame NBA player, averaged 15.6 points and 9.8 rebounds during 14 seasons; former assistant coach at Minnesota Timberwolves
- Luke Sikma, basketball player
- Julia Smit, Olympic swimmer
- Erik Spoelstra, head coach for the Miami Heat, during their NBA championship win in 2012
- Earnie Stewart, soccer player who was a regular midfielder for the US national team from 1990s until his retirement in 2005
- Greg Stiemsma, NBA player
- Jermaine Van Buren, Major League Baseball player
- Tejay van Garderen, cyclist
- Jeff Van Gundy, NBA color commentator, former NBA head coach for the New York Knicks and Houston Rockets
- Stan Van Gundy, current NBA head coach for the Detroit Pistons
- Keith Van Horn, NBA player
- James van Riemsdyk, NHL player for the Philadelphia Flyers
- Trevor van Riemsdyk, NHL player for the Washington Capitals
- Dale Van Sickel, football player, actor and stuntman
- Andy Van Slyke, Major League Baseball player, first base coach for the Detroit Tigers
- Scott Van Slyke, Major League Baseball player
- Tiffany van Soest, Muay Thai kickboxer
- Kyle Vanden Bosch, former NFL player
- Leighton Vander Esch, linebacker for the Dallas Cowboys
- Johnny Vander Meer, baseball player, the only pitcher in major league history to pitch two consecutive no-hitters
- Logan Vander Velden, NBA player
- Andrew Van Ginkel, NFL player
- Kyle Van Noy, NFL player
- John Vander Wal, Major League Baseball player
- Peter Vanderkaay, Olympic swimmer
- Fred VanVleet, NBA player
- Justin Verlander, Major League Baseball pitcher for the Detroit Tigers
- Tiger Woods, professional golfer
- Lily Yohannes, soccer player
Theology
- Louis Berkhof, reformed systematic theologian at Calvin Theological Seminary
- Harold Camping, radio broadcaster and evangelist
- Hank Hanegraaff, Christian apologist and president of the Christian Research Institute
- Anthony A. Hoekema, reformed systematic theologian at Calvin Theological Seminary
- Herman Hoeksema, pastor in the Christian Reformed Church and later in the Protestant Reformed Churches, Reformed systematic theologian at the Protestant Reformed Theological School
- Richard Mouw, Christian philosopher and apologist and president of Fuller Theological Seminary
- James Olthuis, inter-disciplinary scholar in ethics, hermeneutics, philosophical theology, as well as a theorist and practitioner of psychotherapy at the Institute for Christian Studies
- Alvin Plantinga, philosopher known for his work in epistemology, metaphysics, and the philosophy of religion
- Cornelius Plantinga, president of Calvin Theological Seminary
- Robert A. Schuller, televangelist and pastor of the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, California, son of Robert H. Schuller
- Robert H. Schuller, televangelist and pastor known around the world through his weekly broadcast The Hour of Power
- Lewis B. Smedes, Christian author, ethicist, and theologian at Fuller Theological Seminary
- Albertus van Raalte, Calvinist preacher and leader of Dutch immigrants to Michigan
- Cornelius Van Til, Christian philosopher, Reformed theologian, and presuppositional apologist
- Geerhardus Vos, professor of Biblical Theology at Calvin Theological Seminary and at Princeton Theological Seminary
Fictional characters
- Nate Archibald, character from Gossip Girl
- Pete Campbell, character from Mad Men
- Goldmember, Austin Powers in Goldmember
- Gregory House, the main character from House
- Daniel Jackson, character from Stargate
- Rory Jansen, character from The Words
- Fox Mulder, The X-Files
- Brittany Pierce, character from Glee
- Mildred Pierce, character from Mildred Pierce
- Moe Szyslak, The Simpsons
- Abigail Van Buren, pen name of Pauline Phillips, writer of Dear Abby advice column founded in 1956
- Buford van Stomm, character from Phineas and Ferb
- Sinjin Van Cleef, character from Victorious
- Rex Van de Kamp, husband of Bree Van de Kamp of Desperate Housewives
- William Van Den Broeck, character from Random Hearts
- Eric van der Woodsen, character from Gossip Girl
- Serena van der Woodsen, one of the main cast members of Gossip Girl
- Summer van Horne, character from Make It or Break It
- Traci van Horne, character from Hannah Montana
- Milhouse Van Houten, The Simpsons
- Nicholas Van Ryn, Dragonwyck
- Rip Van Winkle, main protagonist in Washington Irving's short story of the same name
- Mona Vanderwaal, character from Pretty Little Liars
- Dieter Von Cunth, evil character from MacGruber
- Jason Voorhees, character from the Friday the 13th series
- Bridget "Bee" Vreeland, character from ''The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants''
Others
- Gertrude Baniszewski, American murderer; father was of Dutch ancestry
- Jack Dangermond, founder of ESRI, a Geographic Information Systems software company
- Sante Kimes, American murderer; mother was of Dutch ancestry
- Linda Kolkena, murder victim
- Alfred Peet, founder of Peet's Coffee and Tea, credited with starting the gourmet coffee revolution in the United States
- Jan Pol, Dutch-American veterinarian featured on the Incredible Dr. Pol television series, emigrated to the United States from the Netherlands
- Leslie van Houten, former Manson family serving life sentence for murder