Dutch Surname Research · Netherlands Heritage
Dutch surname · meaning, origin and genealogy
A nickname surname from zwart, the Dutch word for black — applied to a person with dark hair, dark complexion, or dark clothing, or perhaps to someone who worked with a dark material such as charcoal or tar. Colour-based surnames were common throughout the medieval Netherlands and Flanders, reflecting the practical descriptive approach to naming in communities without written records. Zwart is the standard Dutch form; the Flemish equivalent is often De Zwart or Zwarts.
Common throughout the Netherlands, with no single provincial concentration. Carried to South Africa, where the Afrikaans cognate Swart is widespread among Cape Dutch families descended from 17th-century Dutch settlers.
Bart Zwart (born 1971), Dutch-New Zealand adventure racer and long-distance paddler, multiple winner of the Yukon River Quest and world-record holder for various endurance events. Also: Piet Zwart (1885–1977), Dutch designer and typographer, pioneer of the European avant-garde.
ZVART
Zwart and its Afrikaans variant Swart trace to the same Dutch origin. South African Swarts with Cape Colony ancestry should consult the Genealogical Society of South Africa and the Western Cape Archives. Dutch Zwart records are available via the CBG and the Nationaal Archief civil registration database.
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