Van der Woude is a Dutch toponymic surname meaning "from the forest". The dative form of the particle indicates that the first people carrying the name came from a place called Het Woud of De Woud(e) ("the forest"). Less common variants are Van der Wouden and Van der Woud. People with this name include: * Elizabeth van der Woude (1657–1694), Dutch traveller and writer * John Vander Woude, American politician * Marc van der Woude (born 1960), Dutch jurist * René van der Wouden (born 1972), Dutch electronic musician * Willem van der Woude (1876–1974), Dutch mathematician