Korte

Korte is a term that appears in several European languages as both a word with grammatical function and a proper name. In Dutch, korte is the inflected form of the adjective kort, meaning “short,” used before definite or plural nouns. For example, de korte man (the short man) or de korte verhalen (the short stories). With neuter nouns in definite form, het korte boek (the short book) also uses the -e ending. In indefinite contexts the form commonly appears as kort, as in een kort verhaal.

As a surname, Korte is of Germanic origin and occurs in the Netherlands, Germany and other regions influenced by Dutch or Germanic naming traditions. It may derive from a nickname describing a short person, or from a toponymic element related to a descriptive place name. The name has various spellings and can be found in historical and contemporary records across multiple countries, reflecting patterns of migration and language contact.

In onomastic usage, Korte can appear as a stand-alone surname or as a component within longer, compound toponyms or family names. Its presence in different linguistic areas illustrates the common cross-border nature of Germanic surname formation and the way descriptive adjectives become family names over time.

Overall, korte primarily functions as a grammatical form in Dutch, representing the word “short,” while as a surname it carries historical and genealogical information about lineage, occupation, or origin in Germanic-speaking regions.