Van Bokhoven is a Dutch toponymic surname, meaning "from Bokhoven." Bokhoven is a small town in the province of North Brabant (Noord-Brabant) in the Netherlands. The place name itself derives from the Dutch words bok (goat) and hoven (yards or gardens), thus translating to "goat yards."
The surname is typical of Dutch naming conventions, where the prefix van ("from") indicates a connection to a specific location, often the ancestral home or origin of the family. Bokhoven was a separate municipality until it merged with the city of 's-Hertogenbosch in the 20th century. The name likely originated among families who lived in or hailed from that village.
Surnames of this type are common in the Netherlands, particularly in North Brabant and Limburg, where many place names became hereditary family names in the 17th–19th centuries. Variants of the name may appear without the prefix (like Bokhoven) or with slight spelling differences. As a relatively rare surname, Van Bokhoven is most frequently found in the Netherlands and among Dutch emigrant communities abroad.
- Meaning: "From Bokhoven" (literally "goat yards")
- Origin: Dutch toponymic surname
- Type: Locative
- Usage: Primarily in the Netherlands, especially North Brabant
Sources: Forebears — van-bokhoven