melkers

Melkers is a Dutch term that can function as both a plural noun and a surname. As a plural noun, melkers means milking workers or milkers—people who milk cows or other dairy animals, typically on a farm. The word is rooted in the Dutch verb melken (to milk) and the noun melk (milk), sharing a common Germanic origin tied to dairy production. In historical and rural contexts, melkers described those whose job was to milk and manage dairy tasks.

As a surname, Melkers occurs in the Netherlands and among communities with Dutch heritage. It is considered an occupational surname derived from the same root as the plural noun, likely indicating an ancestral association with milking or dairy farming. Like many trade-based surnames, its use across generations may reflect a family’s historical occupation rather than a current profession.

Geographically, Melkers is relatively uncommon as a surname and is more often encountered within Dutch-speaking regions or diaspora communities. There are no widely recognized figures with the surname Melkers documented in major biographical references; any notable individuals are typically context-specific or local.

Related terms include melker (the singular form) and melk (milk) in Dutch, which share the same etymological family. The name may also appear in Afrikaans- or Germanic-language contexts with parallel occupational origins.