A Dutch occupational surname meaning 'miller', referring to someone who operated a grain mill.
From Dutch 'mulder' or Middle Dutch 'molenere', derived from 'molen' meaning 'mill'. The surname spread throughout Germanic regions where grain milling was essential to community survival.
Fox Mulder from The X-Files made this Dutch surname internationally recognizable, but it's actually quite common in the Netherlands. The connection between mills and mystery is poetic - both involve uncovering what's hidden, whether grain from wheat or truth from deception.
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