De Ruiter is a Dutch-language surname. In modern

Dutch Dutch or Nederlands commonly refers to: * Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands ** Dutch people as an ethnic group () ** Dutch nationality law, history and regulations of Dutch citizenship () ** Dutch language () * In specific terms, i ...

, ''ruiter'' indicates any

equestrian The word equestrian is a reference to equestrianism, or horseback riding, derived from Latin ' and ', "horse". Horseback riding (or riding in British English) Examples of this are: *Equestrian sports *Equestrian order, one of the upper classes in ...

. In the past, the name more specifically referred to a mounted soldier or knight. Variant spellings include De Rijter, De Ruijter, De Ruyter, Deruyter, and Ruiter: De Ruiter * Freddy de Ruiter (born 1969), Norwegian politician *

Job de Ruiter Jacob "Job" de Ruiter (30 April 1930 – 4 October 2015) was a Dutch politician and diplomat of the defunct Anti-Revolutionary Party (ARP) party and later the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) party and jurist. De Ruiter worked as a researcher ...

(1930–2015), Dutch politician * John de Ruiter (born 1959), Canadian philosopher *

Jorrit de Ruiter Jorrit de Ruiter (born 28 November 1986 in Amsterdam) is a Dutch internationally elite badminton player who, until September 2015, was member of the Dutch national team. After he had played in the 2015 World Championships in Jakarta he decided ...

(born 1986), Dutch badminton player * Lo de Ruiter (1919–2008), Dutch politician *

Niels de Ruiter Niels de Ruiter (born 21 January 1983) is a Dutch former darts player and former chairman of the Dutch Darts Federation. On the darts circuit, his nickname is The Excellent Dude, which is a reference from the film ''Bill & Ted's Excellent Adve ...

(born 1983), Dutch darts player *

Nol de Ruiter Nol de Ruiter (6 April 1940 – 21 May 2025) was a Dutch association football, football coach and player, who played as a defender (association football), defender. Playing career Born in Utrecht (city), Utrecht, De Ruiter played football for l ...

(1940–2025), Dutch football player and coach * Piet de Ruiter (1939–2014), Dutch politician * Roy de Ruiter (born 1989), Dutch football player * Wesley de Ruiter (born 1986), Dutch footballer * Wietske de Ruiter (born 1970), Dutch field hockey player * Danielle de Ruiter (born 1998), Canadian Softball player and coach De Ruijter *

Bert de Ruijter Bert de Ruijter (born 1952) known as Leigh Blond, is a Dutch composer, singer and songwriter. Career He was born to musically gifted parents in a shipyard town called Hardinxveld. At young age Blond was exposed to the jukebox music of Elvis Pres ...

(born 1952), Dutch blues musician known as "Leigh Blond" * Frits de Ruijter (1917–2012), Dutch middle-distance runner De Ruyter *

Engel de Ruyter Engel Michielszoon de Ruyter (2 May 1649 – 27 February 1683) was a Dutch vice-admiral. Biography De Ruyter was born in Vlissingen, the son of lieutenant admiral Michiel de Ruyter and his second wife Cornelia (Neeltje) Engels. He began his n ...

(1649–1683), Dutch vice-admiral *

Michiel de Ruyter Michiel Adriaenszoon de Ruyter (; 24 March 1607 – 29 April 1676) was a Dutch States Navy officer. His achievements with the Dutch navy during the Anglo-Dutch Wars earned him the reputation as one of the most skilled naval commanders in ...

(1607–1676), Dutch admiral and

naval hero A hero (feminine: heroine) is a real person or fictional character who, in the face of danger, combats adversity through feats of ingenuity, courage, or strength. The original hero type of classical epics did such things for the sake of ...

Stephnie de Ruyter Stephnie de Ruyter is a former leader of the New Zealand Democratic Party, a small centre-left New Zealand political party based upon Social Credit economics. The Democrats, who, in June 2018, returned to campaigning under the name Social Credit ...

, New Zealand politician * Wim de Ruyter (1918–1995), Dutch racing cyclist * André de Ruyter (born 1968), South African business executive Deruyter *

Charles Deruyter Charles Deruyter (27 January 1890 – 24 January 1955) was a Belgian professional road and track racing cyclist. His best results on the road included second place in the 1913 Paris–Roubaix and the 1923 Tour of Flanders, and winning the only e ...

(1890–1955), Belgian racing cyclist * James DeRuyter Blackwell (1828–1901), American author and poet *

Tim DeRuyter Timothy James DeRuyter ( ; born January 3, 1963) is an American football coach and former player who is the former defensive coordinator at Texas Tech University. He previously served in the same capacity at the University of Oregon in 2021 and ...

(born 1963), American football coach *

Yves Deruyter Yves Deruyter (born 4 May 1970) is a Belgian DJ and producer famous for his work on Bonzai Records. Career Yves Deruyter started his DJ career in 1985 and has played in Belgian clubs such as Globe, Barocci, Cherrymoon, Extreme, Carat, BBC, and ...

(born 1970), Belgian DJ Ruiter *

Bert Ruiter Bert Ruiter (born 26 November 1946 – 14 March 2022) was a Dutch bass guitarist, record producer, and composer. He was best known for being the bassist for Focus from 1971 to 1978. Ruiter was also the bassist for Earth and Fire from 1978 to 1 ...

(1946–2022), Dutch bass guitarist, record producer, and composer * Jan Ruiter (born 1946), Dutch football goalkeeper * Robbin Ruiter (born 1987), Dutch football goalkeeper

See also