The Doyen of the Netherlands about 3 months ago (before his 111th birthday): https://www.lifeandpension.pensioenfondstno.nl/maart2025/110-jaar

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Top 10 Oldest Living Men in the Netherlands as of 13th May 2025 (excluding anonymous unknown cases)
Today's update (Mr. van Ierland turned 111; anonymous born in Suriname limbo case; Mr. Brockhus turned 106; RIP Mr. Loermans)

1. Jan van Ierland (Bloemendaal, North Holland) (b. 5 May 1914), 111 y.o. Doyen of the Netherlands
2. Johannes Theunisse (Dordrecht, South Holland) (b. 24 September 1916), 108 y.o.
3. Jan Boerema (Marum, Groningen) (b. 12 January 1919), 106 y.o.
4. Fredericus Matheus Brockhus (Zandvoort, North Holland) (b. 18 April 1919), 106 y.o.
5. Franciscus Johannes Godefridus van Rheenen (Amsterdam, North Holland) (b. 12 July 1919), 105 y.o.
6. Roel Groenhoff (Soest, Utrecht) (b. 17 September 1919), 105 y.o.
7. Theodorus Gerardus Henricus Maria van Es (Rotterdam, South Holland) (b. 15 November 1919), 105 y.o.
8. Johannes Damis Donker (Gouda, South Holland) (b. 20 November 1919), 105 y.o.
9. Urbain Alphonse Termote (Venray, Limburg) (b. 22 November 1919), 105 y.o.
10. Gerard Hartman (Agelo, Overijssel) (b. 7 January 1920), 105 y.o.

DEATH
Theodorus Gerardus Loermans (8 July 1919-10 May 2025, 105).

Mr. Brockhus at 106:

North Brabant drops out
Drenthe makes its debut on the list

Jan van Ierland is truly extraordinary! I hope that he can become the oldest validated Dutch man of all-time! 🙂

RIP Jan Van Ierland (5 May 1914 - 21 July 2025)

1. Johannes Theunisse (Dordrecht, South Holland) (b. 24 September 1916), 108 y.o. Doyen of the Netherlands
2. Jan Boerema (Marum, Groningen) (b. 12 January 1919), 106 y.o.
3. Frits Brockhus (Zandvoort, North Holland) (b. 18 April 1919), 106 y.o.
4. Franciscus Johannes Godefridus van Rheenen (Amsterdam, North Holland) (b. 12 July 1919), 106 y.o.
5. Roel Groenhoff (Soest, Utrecht) (b. 17 September 1919), 105 y.o.
6. Theo van Es (Rotterdam, South Holland) (b. 15 November 1919), 105 y.o.
7. Johannes Damis Donker (Gouda, South Holland) (b. 20 November 1919), 105 y.o.
8. Urbain Alphonse Termote (Venray, Limburg) (b. 22 November 1919), 105 y.o.
9. Gerard Hartman (Agelo, Overijssel) (b. 7 January 1920), 105 y.o.
10. Dirk Douma (Amstelveen, North Holland) (b. 14 February 1920), 105 y.o.

North Holland no longer has 4 names on the list, having 3 on March 19, 2025, which was the last time it had fewer than 4 and also the last time it didn't have 111+.
For the first time, Drenthe has 2 names.
For the first time, there is only 1 108+ here.
All without considering John Huang as 111+.

Top 10 Oldest Living Men in the Netherlands as of 17th December 2025 (excluding anonymous unknown cases)
Today's update (Mr. Theunisse turned 109; Mr. Groenhoff, Mr. Donker, Mr. Termote and Mr. Van Es turned 106; RIP Mr. Theunisse)

1. Jan Boerema (Marum, Groningen) (b. 12 January 1919), 106 y.o. Doyen of the Netherlands
2. Fredericus Matheus Brockhus (Zandvoort, North Holland) (b. 18 April 1919), 106 y.o.
3. Franciscus Johannes Godefridus van Rheenen (Amsterdam, North Holland) (b. 12 July 1919), 106 y.o.
4. Roel Groenhoff (Soest, Utrecht) (b. 17 September 1919), 106 y.o.
5. Theodorus Gerardus Henricus Maria van Es (Rotterdam, South Holland) (b. 15 November 1919), 106 y.o.
6. Johannes Damis Donker (Gouda, South Holland) (b. 20 November 1919), 106 y.o.
7. Urbain Alphonse Termote (Venray, Limburg) (b. 22 November 1919), 106 y.o.
8. Gerard Hartman (Agelo, Overijssel) (b. 7 January 1920), 105 y.o.
9. Dirk Douma (Amstelveen, North Holland) (b. 14 February 1920), 105 y.o.
10. Kor van Reenen (Honselersdijk, South Holland) (b. 27 February 1920), 105 y.o.

Mr. Groenhoff at 106: https://www.gooieneemlander.nl/regio/gooi-en-eemland/charmeur-roel-106-uit-soest-kreeg-slaapkamerbezoek-van-gordon-ik-mankeer-niks-maar-ik-slijt-wel/91162453.html

DEATH
Johannes Theunisse (24 Sep 1916-6 Dec 2025, 109).

Drenthe once again has only one name on the list, as does 13 May 2025.
Hendrik Dekker entered the list on 22 July 2025.
Gelderland debuts on the list.
For the first time, we have 5 106+ on the list.

Unfortunately, we lost Theodorus Blokland on New Year's Eve.

Mr. Van Es made it to 106.

Mr. Johannes Damis Donker from Gouda turned 106 on 20 November.

Mr. Bartelds is officially called Lambert Geert Bartelds.

Update on the other known 'male cases' from 1920:

Cornelis Jacobus Omtzigt (16-08-1920 - 05-12-2025) te Emmeloord [FL]°
Jan van der Zwet (12-09-1920) te Roelofarendsveen [ZH]
Henk Kole (14-09-1920 - 29-10-2025) te Son [NB]°
Cornelis Witkam (26-09-1920) te Rotterdam [ZH]
Hendrik Berends (12-11-1920) te Dalen [DR]

GJK

Top 10 Oldest Living Men in the Netherlands as of 8th January 2026 (excluding anonymous unknown cases)
Today's update (RIP Mr. Termote)

1. Jan Boerema (Marum, Groningen) (b. 12 January 1919), 106 y.o. Doyen of the Netherlands
2. Fredericus Matheus Brockhus (Zandvoort, North Holland) (b. 18 April 1919), 106 y.o.
3. Franciscus Johannes Godefridus van Rheenen (Amsterdam, North Holland) (b. 12 July 1919), 106 y.o.
4. Roel Groenhoff (Soest, Utrecht) (b. 17 September 1919), 106 y.o.
5. Theodorus Gerardus Henricus Maria van Es (Rotterdam, South Holland) (b. 15 November 1919), 106 y.o.
6. Johannes Damis Donker (Gouda, South Holland) (b. 20 November 1919), 106 y.o.
7. Gerard Hartman (Agelo, Overijssel) (b. 7 January 1920), 106? y.o.
8. Dirk Douma (Amstelveen, North Holland) (b. 14 February 1920), 105 y.o.
9. Kor van Reenen (Honselersdijk, South Holland) (b. 27 February 1920), 105 y.o.
10. Lambert Geert Bartelds (Tweede Exloërmond, Drenthe) (b. 31 March 1920), 105 y.o.

DEATH
Urbain Alphonse Termote (22 Nov 1919-1 Jan 2026, 106).

Top 10 Oldest Living Men in the Netherlands as of 29th January 2026 (excluding anonymous unknown cases)
Today's update (Mr. Boerema turned 107 https://rtvzulthe.nl/nieuws/jan-boerema-107-uit-marum-oudste-inwoner-van-de-gemeente-westerkwartier/  )

1. Jan Boerema (Marum, Groningen) (b. 12 January 1919), 107 y.o. Doyen of the Netherlands
2. Fredericus Matheus Brockhus (Zandvoort, North Holland) (b. 18 April 1919), 106 y.o.
3. Franciscus Johannes Godefridus van Rheenen (Amsterdam, North Holland) (b. 12 July 1919), 106 y.o.
4. Roel Groenhoff (Soest, Utrecht) (b. 17 September 1919), 106 y.o.
5. Theodorus Gerardus Henricus Maria van Es (Rotterdam, South Holland) (b. 15 November 1919), 106 y.o.
6. Johannes Damis Donker (Gouda, South Holland) (b. 20 November 1919), 106 y.o.
7. Gerard Hartman (Agelo, Overijssel) (b. 7 January 1920), 106? y.o.
8. Dirk Douma (Amstelveen, North Holland) (b. 14 February 1920), 105 y.o.
9. Kor van Reenen (Honselersdijk, South Holland) (b. 27 February 1920), 105 y.o.
10. Lambert Geert Bartelds (Tweede Exloërmond, Drenthe) (b. 31 March 1920), 105 y.o.

• March 19, 2025 was the last time North Holland had only two names on the list.
• Now Gelderland debuts on the list.
• Theo Blokland debuted on the list on May 13, 2025.

In the meantime, we lost

Franciscus Johannes Godefridus van Rheenen (12-07-1919 - 15-03-2026) from Amsterdam [NH]

but gained

Kor van Reenen (27-02-1920) from Honselersdijk [ZH]

One unknown man from 1919 probably made it to 2026; he lives either in Meppel [DR] or Haarlem [NH].

GJK

 

Top 10 Oldest Living Men in the Netherlands as of 16th April 2026 (excluding anonymous unknown cases)
Today's update (RIP Mr. van Rheenen; Mr. van Reenen and Mr. Bartelds turned 106 https://www.headliner.nl/item/lambert-uit-odoorn-is-106-jaar-geworden-ik-heb-vorig-jaar-mijn-45-kilometer-auto-verkocht-dvhn-57367 )

1. Jan Boerema (Marum, Groningen) (b. 12 January 1919), 107 y.o. Doyen of the Netherlands
2. Fredericus Matheus Brockhus (Zandvoort, North Holland) (b. 18 April 1919), 106 y.o.
3. Roel Groenhoff (Soest, Utrecht) (b. 17 September 1919), 106 y.o.
4. Theodorus Gerardus Henricus Maria van Es (Rotterdam, South Holland) (b. 15 November 1919), 106 y.o.
5. Johannes Damis Donker (Gouda, South Holland) (b. 20 November 1919), 106 y.o.
6. Gerard Hartman (Agelo, Overijssel) (b. 7 January 1920), 106? y.o.
7. Dirk Douma (Amstelveen, North Holland) (b. 14 February 1920), 106? y.o.
8. Kor van Reenen (Honselersdijk, South Holland) (b. 27 February 1920), 106 y.o.
9. Lambert Geert Bartelds (Tweede Exloërmond, Drenthe) (b. 31 March 1920), 106 y.o.
10. Johannes Petrus Maria Fleuren (Nijmegen, Gelderland) (b. 16 June 1920), 105 y.o.

 

UR. Cornelis Witkam (Rotterdam, South Holland) (b. 26 September 1920), 105 y.o.

Posted by: @ale76

↑

2. Fredericus Matheus Brockhus (Zandvoort, North Holland) (b. 18 April 1919), 106 y.o.

4. Theodorus Gerardus Henricus Maria van Es (Rotterdam, South Holland) (b. 15 November 1919), 106 y.o.

10. Johannes Petrus Maria Fleuren (Nijmegen, Gelderland) (b. 16 June 1920), 105 y.o.

I'm sorry, but these are not their names. Corrected:

2. Frits Brockhus

4. Theo van Es

10. Jan Fleuren

 

Posted by: @marco

↑

I'm sorry, but these are not their names. Corrected:

2. Frits Brockhus

4. Theo van Es

10. Jan Fleuren

I don't use diminutives, I use the real names.

 

• Franciscus Johannes Godefridus van Rheenen was on the list from the first date on January 7, 2025, and was #7.
• First time that the North Holland region has only 2 names.
• Gelderland now appears to be making its debut on the list.

I notice my previous post explaining how these Dutch names are NOT diminutives has been removed. I'm not sure what I've posted in there that could have been offensive to anyone. Am I being silenced for correcting someone who is NOT familiar with Dutch culture and/or Dutch naming conventions???

 

Allow me to explain again: most countries in the world have two naming systems: official names, and nick names. Notice how 'Richard' becomes 'Dick' in English. If a person has multiple first names, usually the first name is used in official (news) reports. It's not Donald John Trump, but Donald Trump. This happens with most SCs NOT from the Netherlands as well. Ethel May Caterham is not constantly referred to as 'Ethel May,' but simply as 'Ethel'. (Japanese SCs are easiest in this regard - they are only ever given one official first name, and that's it.)

 

This is NOT how it works in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands there are three naming systems: official names, roepnamen (pronounced 'roopnahmuhn' with a trilled r, would be literally translated to 'call names') and nicknames.

• Official names are only ever used in a few (not even all!) legal documents, and are NEVER EVER used in daily life, not even in more formal situations such as work, in hospital/at the doctor, or likewise. This is what confuses lots of Dutch people whenever they're abroad and can lead to hilarious or even embarrassing situations. Dutch people have been refused to board a flight, because the name they entered when booking is not the name that is shown on their ID card. People have sat for hours in hospital or at the doctor's, because their name was called but they didn't recognise it as it was their official name and not their daily name. People were taken to the police station because they told a police officer their (true!) name and it did not match their name on their ID card - see this article and its comments for more examples.
• Roepnamen are also given at birth, but you won't find them in official documents/legally issued documents. You guys know me as 'Marco,' because that is my roepnaam (pronounced 'roopnahm' with a trilled r). However, if you tried to locate my birth certificate, you'd be unsuccessful, as Marco is a far cry from my official first names (I have more than one). Yet, even in more official situations, people only know me as 'Marco' - my colleagues, for instances, don't know my official first names, nor do I know theirs. At the GP's or the dentist's, too, I would be referred to as 'Marco'. I consider 'Marco' my real name and wouldn't even realise someone tried to talk to me if they called me by my official first names. This goes for all other Duch people to, INCLUDING the oldest of the oldest. Try googling for Dutch SCs using their official names, and you will hardly find any Dutch-based newspaper articles about them. However, use their real names (like 'Siene' instead of 'Johanna Francina') and you will find many more articles. Again, this only goes for Dutch-based sources, as the rest of the world is unfamiliar with how the Dutch system works (and, come to think of it, the Flemish system too).
• Nick names exist in the Netherlands, too. My students refer to me as 'Wikkie' (a shortened version of my last name), both as a term of endearment (they like me...) as well as a means of shortening my long(er) last name. Henny (not Hendrikje!) van Andel-Schipper was known as 'Tante Henny' to show affection.

 

In short, calling Dutch people's real names "diminutives" is blatantly wrong, only shows a misunderstanding of Dutch culture, and is - quite frankly - highly disrespectful, as you seem to imply you understand Dutch naming conventions better than Dutch people themselves. You also disrespect Dutch supercentenarians and their families, because their official names are not their real names (as paradoxical as that might sound).

 

Of course, we can also reverse everything and be consistent to a fault. As of now, we are going to refer to ALL SCs from ALL countries in a similar fashion, because if we only use full, official names for Dutch SCs, we should do so for all SCs anywhere and everywhere in the world. In other words, as of now it's as follows:

• Maria Elisabeth Dionysia Waelbers
• Ines Lina Linda Sommovigo
• Ada Ethel Sarah Cleggett
• Angelica Genevieve Mary Wilhelm
• Esther Margreta Louise Groneman
• Ruth Anna Victoria Brown
• Orphea Reca Josephine Mattsfield
• and I could go on and on.

I don't see anyone writing/typing these SCs' full names, so why continue being so adamant about writing Dutch SCs' full (and not even real) names?! I genuinely don't understand...

Posted by: @marco

↑

I notice my previous post explaining how these Dutch names are NOT diminutives has been removed. I'm not sure what I've posted in there that could have been offensive to anyone. Am I being silenced for correcting someone who is NOT familiar with Dutch culture and/or Dutch naming conventions???

 

Allow me to explain again: most countries in the world have two naming systems: official names, and nick names. Notice how 'Richard' becomes 'Dick' in English. If a person has multiple first names, usually the first name is used in official (news) reports. It's not Donald John Trump, but Donald Trump. This happens with most SCs NOT from the Netherlands as well. Ethel May Caterham is not constantly referred to as 'Ethel May,' but simply as 'Ethel'. (Japanese SCs are easiest in this regard - they are only ever given one official first name, and that's it.)

 

This is NOT how it works in the Netherlands. In the Netherlands there are three naming systems: official names, roepnamen (pronounced 'roopnahmuhn' with a trilled r, would be literally translated to 'call names') and nicknames.

• Official names are only ever used in a few (not even all!) legal documents, and are NEVER EVER used in daily life, not even in more formal situations such as work, in hospital/at the doctor, or likewise. This is what confuses lots of Dutch people whenever they're abroad and can lead to hilarious or even embarrassing situations. Dutch people have been refused to board a flight, because the name they entered when booking is not the name that is shown on their ID card. People have sat for hours in hospital or at the doctor's, because their name was called but they didn't recognise it as it was their official name and not their daily name. People were taken to the police station because they told a police officer their (true!) name and it did not match their name on their ID card - see this article and its comments for more examples.
• Roepnamen are also given at birth, but you won't find them in official documents/legally issued documents. You guys know me as 'Marco,' because that is my roepnaam (pronounced 'roopnahm' with a trilled r). However, if you tried to locate my birth certificate, you'd be unsuccessful, as Marco is a far cry from my official first names (I have more than one). Yet, even in more official situations, people only know me as 'Marco' - my colleagues, for instances, don't know my official first names, nor do I know theirs. At the GP's or the dentist's, too, I would be referred to as 'Marco'. I consider 'Marco' my real name and wouldn't even realise someone tried to talk to me if they called me by my official first names. This goes for all other Duch people to, INCLUDING the oldest of the oldest. Try googling for Dutch SCs using their official names, and you will hardly find any Dutch-based newspaper articles about them. However, use their real names (like 'Siene' instead of 'Johanna Francina') and you will find many more articles. Again, this only goes for Dutch-based sources, as the rest of the world is unfamiliar with how the Dutch system works (and, come to think of it, the Flemish system too).
• Nick names exist in the Netherlands, too. My students refer to me as 'Wikkie' (a shortened version of my last name), both as a term of endearment (they like me...) as well as a means of shortening my long(er) last name. Henny (not Hendrikje!) van Andel-Schipper was known as 'Tante Henny' to show affection.

 

In short, calling Dutch people's real names "diminutives" is blatantly wrong, only shows a misunderstanding of Dutch culture, and is - quite frankly - highly disrespectful, as you seem to imply you understand Dutch naming conventions better than Dutch people themselves. You also disrespect Dutch supercentenarians and their families, because their official names are not their real names (as paradoxical as that might sound).

 

Of course, we can also reverse everything and be consistent to a fault. As of now, we are going to refer to ALL SCs from ALL countries in a similar fashion, because if we only use full, official names for Dutch SCs, we should do so for all SCs anywhere and everywhere in the world. In other words, as of now it's as follows:

• Maria Elisabeth Dionysia Waelbers
• Ines Lina Linda Sommovigo
• Ada Ethel Sarah Cleggett
• Angelica Genevieve Mary Wilhelm
• Esther Margreta Louise Groneman
• Ruth Anna Victoria Brown
• Orphea Reca Josephine Mattsfield
• and I could go on and on.

I don't see anyone writing/typing these SCs' full names, so why continue being so adamant about writing Dutch SCs' full (and not even real) names?! I genuinely don't understand...

My question is what's the consistency here. I understand that we don't put that when it comes to countries like USA and UK, we just put there first names and surnames, but in different countries, we seemingly have to use their full name. I don't understand either if I'm being completely honest. I don't believe that it's simply us not wanting to go by their nicknames, but that it's consistency. I don't know.

 

I think, consistently, you'd want to go with the naming convention prevalent in the country of residence. In other words, for SCs from the anglophone world, one's first name + last name would be appropriate, in the Netherlands it would be roepnaam + last name, and so forth.