What does the surname Cammenga mean in Dutch?

Answer 1

Cammenga -- and variants such as Kammenga, Camenga, and Kammenjah are of Friesian origin, not actually Dutch. Fries remains a second recognized language in the Netherlands. The Friesian ethnic group includes individuals scattered widely, but the primary concentration is in north eastern Holland, north western Germany, and the Friesian Islands in the North Sea. Some Friesians are also found in Denmark.

I cannot give a difinitive answer for the meaning, but from what I have been told by family members, the "enga" (sometimes "inga") carries the meaning of "from." and can indicate a location of family residence or the name of an ancestor. (This gives it the parallel meaning to "Van" in Dutch for place or the O' of the Irish indicating descent from.) Other Fries names of similar form inclued Eissenga, Tamminga, and Herringa.

With this as background Cammenga would probably meaning "coming from Camm." No place of this name appears in the areas of Fries influence today, so it probably refers to descent from an individual named Camm.

If others can clarify this, I would appreciate it.

Answer 2

The surname Cammenga is of Frisian origin and means "crooked limb." It is believed to have originated as a nickname for someone with a physical deformity or irregularity in their limbs.