Bijlsma is a hybrid Dutch-Frisian metonymic originally meaning "axe man". Documented origins involve a carpenter and butcher.Bijlsma at the Meertens Institute Dutch surname database. People with this surname, often spelled Bylsma abroad, include:
Anner Bijlsma (1934–2019), Dutch cellist Carine Bijlsma (born 1983), Dutch documentary film maker and photographer Gerrit Bijlsma (1929–2004), Dutch Olympic water polo player Johannes Bijlsma, Dutch philosopher
See also Bylsma, a spelling more common outside of the Netherlands
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