Van der Merwe

Van der Merwe is a common Afrikaans surname, derived from the Dutch van der Merwen ("from the Merwede river"). It was brought to South Africa in 1661 by Dutch people employed by the Dutch East India Company. The progenitors of the extended Van der Merwe family are Willem Schalk van der Merwe, born in "Broeck", believed to be near the Merwede River in the Netherlands, and Elsje Cloete. Married in 1668 in Cape Town, they settled as farmers in Hout Bay, then eventually retired to Drakenstein. Their descendants make up a significant portion of the Van der Merwe lineage in the region.