Black Dutch
Black Dutch noun: a European with dark hair, eyes, and skin, especially one from or claiming to be from Germany or the Netherlands, sometimes (derogatory, ethnic slur) with disparaging racial overtones.
Noun (1)
Black Dutch (plural Black Dutch)
- A European with dark hair, eyes, and skin, especially one from or claiming to be from Germany or the Netherlands, sometimes (derogatory, ethnic slur) with disparaging racial overtones.
- The same usage still prevails among the vulgar as in the phrases, 'black Irish', 'black Dutch', describing certain well known types of Celts and Teutons (Hollanders, probably), differing widely from the prevailing type of either race in respect of their black eyes and hair, and gypsy-like, tawny...1875 December, American Bibliopolist, p. 260
- There are strong indications that the original "Black Dutch" were swarthy-complexioned Germans. Anglo-Americans loosely applied the term to any dark-complexioned American of European descent... By the mid-19th century, the term had become an American colloquialism; a derogative term for anything...1997 March, James Pylant, "In Search of the Black Dutch", American Genealogy Magazine, Vol. 12, No. 1
- A person passing for such a European, especially Native Americans or people from multiracial families.
- There are strong indications that the original "Black Dutch" were swarthy-complexioned Germans... The term was adopted [by some] as an attempt to disguise Indian or infrequently, tri-racial descent.1997 March, James Pylant, "In Search of the Black Dutch", American Genealogy Magazine, Vol. 12, No. 1
- A Dutch citizen with sub-Saharan African ancestry.
- Synonyms:
- Afro-Dutch
- A member of the Sinti ethnic group in North America, especially those of German-Sinti ancestry; an American-Sinti person.
- Gypsies from Germany, whom de Wendler-Funaro refers to as Chikkeners (Pennsylvania German, from the German Zigeuner), sometimes refer to themselves as 'Black Dutch'.2008, Migrations: Gypsies in the United States, Smithsonian Institution
- Sinti from Germany and the Netherlands, known as "Black Dutch" or "Chikkeners," in Pennsylvania Dutch (from the German word "Zigeuner"), arrived in the 1800s as well.2017, Pamela W. Reilly, "Romani and Sinti in Pennsylvania", in Pennsylvania Heritage Magazine, Spring 2017
Noun (2) capitalized: black Dutch
black Dutch (plural black Dutch)
- Alternative letter-case form of Black Dutch.
Synonyms of Black Dutch
Forms of Black Dutch
| plural | Black Dutch |
|---|---|
| alternative form | black Dutch |
| plural | black Dutch |
Origin of Black Dutch
In reference to Germans, a mangled calque of German schwarze Deutsche (“black Germans”) under influence from Dutch.
Questions about Black Dutch
- What does Black Dutch mean?
- Black Dutch means a European with dark hair, eyes, and skin, especially one from or claiming to be from Germany or the Netherlands, sometimes (derogatory, ethnic slur) with disparaging racial overtones.
- What part of speech is Black Dutch?
- Black Dutch is a noun.
- What is the plural of Black Dutch?
- The plural of Black Dutch is Black Dutch.
Words near Black Dutch in the dictionary
Source and license
Adapted from Wiktionary: Black Dutch (page history and authors); black Dutch (page history and authors). Text available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 license. Word.ws reformatted the entry and added links. Wiktionary data of 2026-09-02.
Last updated:
Cite this entry: “Black Dutch.” Word.ws, https://word.ws/black_dutch. Based on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.