Kerkhoek

Kerkhoek is a toponym used in the Netherlands and Belgium for several small settlements and hamlets. The name literally means "church corner" in Dutch, reflecting a historical association with a parish church situated at a crossroads or at the edge of a village. As a place name, Kerkhoek is common enough that it does not refer to a single, distinct town, but to multiple localities in different municipalities.

Geography and features: In practice, a Kerkhoek is typically a rural locality embedded in agricultural surroundings. Buildings, if present, form a small cluster around a church site, a crossroads, or a parish boundary. Because Kerkhoek describes a type of place rather than a unique site, the size and population of each Kerkhoek vary; many such localities count only a few dozen to a few hundred residents.

History: The toponym likely originated in the medieval or early modern period, when church centers often defined a community’s identity and land parcels coalesced around the church at a key corner or fork in roads. Over time, administrative reforms grouped these places into larger municipalities, yet the name persisted in local usage and in street or district names.

Present status: Today, each Kerkhoek forms part of a municipality or county and does not have separate autonomous governance. It remains primarily a rural or semi-rural locality, sometimes with a small chapel or church that marks the historic anchor of the settlement.

Because Kerkhoek is a common name, specifying the province or municipality is necessary to identify a particular location.