Family names

As in 2024, Peeters, Janssens and Maes are the top 3 most common family names in Belgium. This is what emerged from the latest figures published by Statbel, the Belgian statistical office. No change in the national ranking On 1 January 2025, the surnames Peeters, Janssens and Maes retain their dominant position in the ranking of the most common surnames in Belgium. With 30,375, 27,692 and 24,056 occurrences respectively, these three surnames occupy the top three places in the national ranking, unchanged from the previous year. The top 10 is completed by Jacobs (18,643), Mertens (17,513), Willems (17,347), Claes (15,432), Goossens (14,831), Wouters (14,620) and De Smet (13,152). The complete top 10 Belgium # Evolution ranking 2025/2024 1 Peeters 30,375 - 2 Janssens 27,692 - 3 Maes 24,056 - 4 Jacobs 18,643 - 5 Mertens 17,513 - 6 Willems 17,347 - 7 Claes 15,432 - 8 Goossens 14,831 - 9 Wouters 14,620 - 10 De Smet 13,152 - Flanders: continuity of great family names In the Flemish Region, the ranking is dominated by the same names: Peeters (27,152), Janssens (24,202) and Maes (21,040). Willems (14,465) now takes fifth place, ahead of Mertens (14,459). Flemish Region # Evolution ranking 2025/2024 1 Peeters 27,152 - 2 Janssens 24,202 - 3 Maes 21,040 - 4 Jacobs 16,074 - 5 Willems 14,465 - 6 Mertens 14,459 - 7 Claes 13,331 - 8 Wouters 13,095 - 9 Goossens 12,784 - 10 De Smet 11,864 - Wallonia: traditional French surnames The Walloon ranking clearly stands out due to the exclusive presence of traditional French names. At the top of the ranking are Dubois (9,021), Lambert (8,212) and Martin (6,456), followed by Dupont, Simon, Leclercq, Dumont, Laurent, Lejeune and Renard. Walloon Region # Evolution ranking 2025/2024 1 Dubois 9,021 - 2 Lambert 8,212 - 3 Martin 6,456 - 4 Dupont 6,034 - 5 Simon 5,905 - 6 Leclercq 5,709 - 7 Dumont 5,680 - 8 Laurent 5,353 - 9 Lejeune 5,222 - 10 Renard 5,139 +1 Brussels: a reflection of urban diversity The Brussels-Capital Region presents a more diverse picture, reflecting its cosmopolitan population. In 2025, the most common surnames are Diallo (5,364), Bah (2,884) and Barry (2,032). They are followed by Sow, Nguyen, Camara and Janssens. It should be noted that Dubois (746) and Peeters (718) remain in the top 10, but are less common than in 2024. Ahmed (717) leaves the ranking and arrives in 11th position, while Ali (726) enters the top 10 in 9th place. Brussels-Capital Region # Evolution ranking 2025/2024 1 Diallo 5,364 - 2 Bah 2,773 - 3 Barry 2,032 - 4 Sow 1,483 - 5 Nguyen 956 - 6 Camara 779 +2 7 Janssens 747 - 8 Dubois 746 -2 9 Ali 726 +2 10 Peeters 718 -1