The Dutch name Freek (pronounced “Frake”, more or less) is not as common as, say, Jan or Willem or Bart but is still a perfectly normal name in the Netherlands and Belgium.
How many Freeks are there?
How many Freeks have been around in the past is difficult to say, because if you were called “Freek” by your family, you were probably registered in the national birth register as Frederik. Many Dutch Frederiks also went by “Fred”, some might have gone by “Rik”, so it is very difficult to say how many Freeks were among them.
From the 1980s it became popular to call your son Freek, without making him Frederik in his passport. The name was quite popular in the 1980s and 1990s, making many Freeks around 40 years old.
(Take “popular” with a grain of salt, though; even at the height of its popularity, ïn the year 1984, the name “Freek” was not even in the top 100 of boys’ names.)
But again, don’t be fooled by that 0-line in the graph: there were plenty of Freeks around before the 1980s, it’s just that for these statistics they were called Frederik.
Nowadays the name is less popular, though in 2025 there were still 35 baby boys who got the name Freek. Part of the diminishing popularity will have to do with parents giving their child a name that will not raise eyebrows abroad, but another part will quite simply be the normal ebb and flow of name popularity.
Freeks have been around a long time
What we can know is that Freeks have been around a long time. The picture below is from a baptism register from 1634. On 2 November 1634, the following children were baptised: Claas, Trijn, Jan, Freek, Gerrit and Jannekijntje (?? I can’t make out that last one, tell me what you think it says!). This image is from the amazing website wiewaswie.nl, and the oldest Freek I can find was buried in 1586. They were probably around before that, too, it’s just that we don’t have records that go further back.
Celebrities with the name Freek
Freek de Jonge: (1944, Dutch comedian)
Here he is, speaking in English (and not being funny, for a change).
Freek Vonk: (1983, evolutionary biologist and TV presenter)
I couldn’t find anything in English from him, so here is one of his Dutch kids’ TV episodes
Freek Braeckman: (1979, Belgian news reader)
Nothing in English from him either…
Freek Rikkerink: (1993, half of singing duo Suzan & Freek)
No need to find anything in English for these two; they sing in Dutch, and beautifully so. Here is their most popular song
(I was a little hesitant to include Freek Rikkerink in the picture above, and in this list, as he has been diagnosed with terminal lung cancer. However, Suzan & Freek are still making and promoting their music, choosing to continue their passion and sharing themselves with the world. From what I know of them, I think they would be sad to be left out!)
How do Freeks introduce themselves abroad?
Though some embrace the way foreigners call them “Freak”, many also opt to go by Frederik, Fred or Frake.
What do Freeks think about the Freak connotation?
In this paragraph, I will paste some reactions that I think I will get on social media.
Heddwen Newton teaches English and Dutch, and is also a translator and a linguist. Her newsletter
English and the Dutch is about all the funny and interesting ways Dutch and English overlap.
Photo credits:
Freek de Jonge: Dirk Annemans
Freek Vonk: Vargaspetra
Freek Braeckman: Ruud Hendrickx
Freek Rikkerink: Willem Sizoo
Sources:
meertens instituut voornamenbank