Altena

Etymology

 * (Noord-Brabant) From, (among other spellings), from an  term which is only attested as Latinized , the name of a river probably deriving from  + ; thuis equivalent to  +.
 * (Drenthe) First attested as de altena in 1143, 1145 and 1167. Compound of, and . The toponym contrasts with . Compare ,  and . See also 🇨🇬.
 * (Zeeland)

The surname derives from one of several toponyms.