Dirk (name)

{{Wictionary|Dirk}} {{Infobox given name | name = Dirk | image= Dirk I, Count of Holland, by Hendrik van Heessel.jpg | imagesize= | caption= [[Dirk I, Count of Holland]] | pronunciation= | gender = Male | meaning = | language = | languageorigin = Dutch: Low Franconian, Low Germanic | related names = [[Diederik]], [[Derek]], [[Theodoric]], [[Theodore (name)|Theodore]] | footnotes = |image_size=150px}} '''Dirk''' is a male [[given name]] of [[Dutch language|Dutch]] origin. It is a traditional diminutive of the Dutch name Diederik. The meaning of the name is "the people's ruler", composed of ''þeud'' ("people") and ''ric'' ("power"). Dirk may also be a surname. It is cognate to French [[Thierry]], German [[Dietrich (disambiguation)|Dietrich]] and Gothic [[Theoderic]].

== People with the given name ==

* [[Dirk I, Count of Holland]] (died 944) * [[Dirk II, Count of Holland]] (944–988) * [[Dirk III, Count of Holland]] (died 1039) * [[Dirk IV, Count of Holland]] (1020–1049) * [[Dirk V, Count of Holland]] (1052–1091) * [[Dirk VI, Count of Holland]] (1114–1157) * [[Dirk VII, Count of Holland]] (died 1203) * [[Dirk Bach]] (1961–2012), German actor * [[Dirk Bauermann]] (born 1957), German basketball coach * [[Dirk Benedict]] (born 1945), American actor * [[Dirk Bezemer]] (born 1971), Dutch economist * [[Dirk Bikkembergs]] (born 1959), Belgian fashion designer * [[Dirk Blocker]] (born 1957), American actor * [[Dirk Bolt]] (1930–2020), Dutch-born architect * [[Dirk Bootsma]] (1936–2020), Dutch geneticist * [[Dirk Brouwer]] (1902–1966), American astronomer * [[Dirk Brossé]] (born 1960), Belgian composer * [[Dirk Bruinenberg]] (born 1968), Dutch musician * [[Dirk Chivers]] (fl. 1694–1699), Dutch pirate * [[Dirk Coster]] (1889–1950), Dutch physicist * [[Dirk Crabeth]] (1501–1574), Dutch artist * [[Dirk Cussler]] (born 1961), American writer * [[Dirk Dirksen]] (1937–2006), American music promoter * [[Dirk Elbers]] (born 1959), German politician * [[Dirk Fock]] (1858–1941), Dutch politician * [[Dirk Frimout]] (born 1941), Belgian astronaut and astrophysicist * [[Dirk Gates]] (born 1961), American businessman * [[Dirk Geukens]] (1963–2020), Belgian motocross racer * [[Dirk Hartog]] (1580–1621), Dutch sailor and explorer * [[Dirk Hayhurst]] (born 1981), American author * [[Dirk Jan de Geer]] (1870–1960), Dutch politician and prime minister * [[Dirk Jan Struik]] (1894–2000), Dutch mathematician and historian * [[Dirk Johnson]] (born 1975), American football player * [[Dirk Kemp]] (1913–1983), South African football player * [[Dirk Kempthorne]] (1951–2026), American politician * [[Dirk Kienscherf]] (born 1965), German politician * [[Dirk de Klerk]] (1852–1920), Dutch politician * [[Dirk Koetter]] (born 1959), American football coach * [[Dirk Kuyt]] (born 1980), Dutch football player * [[Dirk Mädrich]] (born 1983), German basketball player * [[Dirk Mudge]] (1928–2020), Namibian politician * [[Dirk Müller (artist)]] (born 1946), Dutch sculptor * [[Dirk Müller (cyclist)]] (born 1973), German cyclist * [[Dirk Müller (racing driver)]] (born 1975), German race car driver * [[Dirk Nannes]] (born 1976), Australian cricket player * [[Dirk Niebel]] (born 1963), German politician * [[Dirk Nowitzki]] (born 1978), German basketball player * [[Dirk Polder]] (1919–2001), Dutch physicist * [[Dirk Reichardt]] (born 1964), German composer * [[Dirk Richou]] (1971-Present), United States IT Professional and former Ice Hockey Player * [[Dirk Schlächter]] (born 1965), German bassist * [[Dirk Schreyer]] (1944–2025), German rower * [[Dirk Stikker]] (1897–1979), Dutch politician and diplomat * [[Dirk Stoop]] (1615–1686), Dutch painter * [[Dirk Valkenburg]] (1675–1721), Dutch painter * [[Dirk van Braeckel]] (born 1958), Belgian car designer * [[Dirk van Erp]] (1860–1933), American coppersmith * [[Dirk Van Raalte]] (1844–1910), American Union soldier and politician * [[Dirk de Waard]] (1919–2011), Dutch-born American geologist * [[Dirk Willems]] (died 1569), Dutch Anabaptist martyr and pacifist * [[Dirk Wilutzky]] (born 1965), German film maker

== People with the nickname ==

* [[Dirk Bogarde]] (1921–1999), stage name of British actor Derek van den Bogaerde * [[Stewart "Dirk" Fischer]] (1924–2013), American composer and musician * [[Dirk Gringhuis]] (1918–1974), American artist and illustrator * [[Dirk Meyer]] (born 1961), American businessman * [[Dirk West]] (1930–1996), American editorial cartoonist and journalist * [[Dirk from Veristablium]], nickname of [[Derek Muller]]

== People with the surname ==

* [[Robert Dirk]] (born 1966), Canadian ice hockey player

== Fictional characters with the name == * Dirk, a character from the horror comic series ''[[Witch Creek Road]]'' * [[Dirk Anger]], Marvel Comics character * [[Dirk the Daring]], the main character in the video game ''Dragon's Lair'' * Dirk Dagger (also known as Dirk Spanner), the main character in the video game ''[[Dirk Dagger and the Fallen Idol]]'' * [[Dirk Diggler]], the main character in ''Boogie Nights'' played by Mark Wahlberg * Dirk Dreamer, a character in the video game ''[[The Sims 2]]'' * [[Dirk Gently]], the main character in ''Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency'' by Douglas Adams * Dirk McQuickly, the equivalent of Paul McCartney in The Beatles parody band [[The Rutles]] * [[Dirk Morgna]], DC Comics character also known as Sun Boy * [[Dirk Pitt]], the main character in novels by Clive Cussler * Dirk Strider, a character from the webcomic ''[[Homestuck]]'' * [[Dirk Struan]], the main character in James Clavell's 1966 novel ''Tai-Pan'' * Dirk, a main character on Disney Channel's ''[[Bizaardvark]]'' * Blackblaze Dirk, a villain in ''[[Xenoblade Chronicles 3]]''

== See also ==

* [[Derek]] (name) * {{Look from|Dirk}} * {{In title|Dirk}} * [[Dirck]], given name * [[Dirks (surname)]]

[[Category:Dutch masculine given names]] [[Category:English masculine given names]] [[Category:Masculine given names]] [[Category:German masculine given names]]

[[Category:Nicknames]]