Hout, van Hout and van den Hout are Dutch surnames meaning "wood", "timber" or "of the wood". Notable people with the surname include: Hout Michael Hout (born 1950), American sociologist Morgan Hout (born 1940s), American football coach Van Hout Cor van Hout (1957–2003), Dutch kidnapper (1542–1609), Dutch statesman, "city secretary" of Leiden (1908-1945), Dutch racing cyclist Joris Van Hout (born 1977), Belgian footballer Kristof Van Hout (born 1987), Belgian football goalkeeper Léon van Hout (1864-1945), Belgian violinist and music educator Roald van Hout (born 1988), Dutch footballer Ronnie van Hout (born 1962), New Zealand artist Russell Van Hout (born 1976), Australian former racing cyclist Van den Hout (born 1964), Dutch Roman Catholic bishop Willem van den Hout (1915-1985), Dutch writer and publicist Al-Hout "(Al-)Hout" is a common romanization of the Arabic surname (al)-ḥūt, meaning "(the) whale". People with this name include: Shafiq al-Hout (1932-2009), Palestinian politician and writer, a founder of the Palestine Liberation Front and the Palestine Liberation Organization See also Houts, surname including "van Houts" Van Houten, Dutch surname Dutch-language surnames