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

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).

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.

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 11^th position, while Ali (726) enters the top 10 in 9^th place.