Van Leeuwen is a Dutch toponymic surname, meaning "from Leeuwen." There are towns named Leeuwen in the Dutch provinces of Gelderland and Limburg. The place name likely derives from the Old Dutch word leo, meaning "hill" or "burial mound," referring to a geographical feature. The prefix van is common in Dutch surnames and indicates a locational origin, similar to German von. As such, the name historically denoted someone who lived in or hailed from one of these places.
The surname is relatively rare outside the Netherlands and Belgian Flanders, concentrated in Dutch-speaking regions. Variants and related forms, often created when immigrant families simplified or anglicized the name, include Leeuwen, Van Leeuw, or simply Van Lee. The most famous bearer in English-speaking contexts is perhaps Tycho van Leeuwen, a Dutch-American actor known for his role on the sitcom Unhappily Ever After, though the name also appears in public records in the Netherlands and its former colonies.
- Meaning: from Leeuwen
- Origin: Dutch toponymic
- Type: Surname
- Region: Netherlands, Dutch diaspora