Dirk (name)

Dirk is a male given name of 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 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 (born 1951), American 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 Schlächter (born 1965), German bassist
 * Dirk Stikker (1897–1979), Dutch politician and diplomat
 * Dirk Stoop (1615–1686), Dutch painter
 * Dirk Valkenburg (1675–1721), Dutch painter
 * Dirk van Erp (1860–1933), American coppersmith
 * Dirk van Braeckel (born 1958), Belgian car designer
 * 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
 * Richard Dirk Gringhuis (1918–1974), American artist and illustrator
 * Derrick Dirk Meyer (born 1961), American businessman
 * Gerald 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 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 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 (Bizaardvark character), a main character on Disney Channel's Bizaardvark
 * Blackblaze Dirk, a villain in Xenoblade Chronicles 3