Since Belgium has three national languages — Dutch, French and German — Belgian names are similar to those in the neighbouring countries: the Netherlands, France and Germany. Thanks to this multiculturalism, Belgium has one of the highest number of surnames in the world (no less than 190,000 at the last count), and certainly the highest per capita ratio, about 1 family name for 53 people. Place names (regions, towns, villages, hamlets) with a particle meaning "from" (de in French, del in Walloon, or van in Dutch) are the most numerous. An uncapitalised particle sometimes indicates nobility.
Here is for example the chronological list of Ministers-President of the Walloon Region :
| Name | Origin |
|---|---|
| Jean-Maurice Dehousse | French / Walloon origin (literally from Housse) |
| André Damseaux | French / Walloon origin (derived from Damoiseau) |
| Melchior Wathelet | French / Walloon origin (probably a diminutive from Gautier / Walter) [1] |
| Guy Coëme | French / Walloon origin (derived from the surname Cosme[2]) |
| Bernard Anselme | French / Walloon origin (derived from the surname Anselme) |
| Guy Spitaels | French / Walloon origin (derived from hospital), Flemish writing[3] |
| Robert Collignon | French / Walloon origin (diminutive from Collin)[4] |
| Elio Di Rupo | Italian origin |
| Jean-Claude Van Cauwenberghe | Flemish origin (literally from the cold hill) |
| André Antoine | French / Walloon origin (derived from the surname Antoine) |
| Rudy Demotte | Flemish / French origin (The Motte in Dutch, From the Motte in French[5]) |
For French family names among the Walloons and other francophones of Belgium, see French name.
The twenty most common French surnames in Belgium are respectively Dubois, Lambert, Dupont, Martin, Dumont, Leroy, Leclercq, Simon, Laurent, François, Denis, Renard, Thomas, Lejeune, Gérard, Petit, Mathieu, Lemaire, Charlier, and Bertrand. Sources
Some surnames have an unclear origin, like Berger, meaning shepherd in French, and mountaineer in Dutch and German. The particle De also means From or From the in French and means The in Dutch, which does not help finding the origin.
Flemish surnames are also common, due to Flemish economic immigration from 1850 to 1950. See Flanders name.
There are also a lot of typical Walloon surnames, like Monami (fr: Mon ami, en: My friend), Dehasse (fr: de Hasselt, en: from Hasselt), Delcroix (fr: de la Croix, en: from the Cross), Delhaize or Donnay (some famous tennis equipment in the 1980's).
Even crossed etymologies can be found like Deflandre (meaning in French from Flanders) or Dehasse (fr: de Hasselt, en: from Hasselt, in Flemish Region).