Neder

Neder is a toponymic element in Dutch and Low German place names and also a surname of Dutch origin. In historical usage, neder meant lower, beneath, or downstream, and it is cognate with the German nieder. In toponymy, the term was used to designate geographic positions such as lower lands, riverbanks closer to a watercourse, or downstream sections of a larger area.

As a surname, Neder arose from a person associated with such a location, either as a resident of a place named Neder or as someone living in the lower land relative to a reference point. The surname is found mainly in the Netherlands and parts of Germany, and through migration it appears in other countries with Dutch or German heritage.

In modern usage Neder tends to appear primarily in genealogical or historical contexts and is relatively uncommon as a given name. It is typically distinguished from Nieder, the German form, and from terms like Nederland or Nederlands, which refer to the Netherlands as a country or to the Dutch language. When encountered in historical documents, Neder may appear in various spellings depending on the period and local orthographic conventions.

See also Nieder for the German cognate and for related toponymic elements appearing in other West Germanic languages.