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The most Googled words of 2016
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The most Googled words of 2016

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© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
© 2025 IamExpat Media B.V.
Dec 23, 2016
Kiri Scully
Raised a global citizen, to an Irish father and American mother, Kiri has lived and worked in five countries over three continents. Fuelled by culture curiosity at an early age, Kiri chose to study Anthropology and Media Communications at Goldsmiths College, University of London, before delving into the world of journalism. Read more

Every year, search engine Google publishes its most popular word searches, and breaks them down into different categories.

What could Anouk, Pokémon Go and banana bread have in common? Well, they all made it to the list.

The most Googled terms in the Netherlands were EK 2016 (The European Championships), Pokémon Go and the iPhone 7. The runners up were Douwe Bob, Rio 2016 and of course, Donald Trump.

Most Googled people

Dutch singer, Anouk was also included as the most searched for Dutch woman alongside Geert Wilders who was the most popularly searched for Dutch politician. Justin Bieber won the top spot for the international celebrity that Dutch people searched for most online.

Most Googled questions

In terms of questions, the most searched for were, "How old is Donald Trump", and "how does Pokémon Go work", and perhaps somewhat more striking, "how does a SM relationship work" and "how does a fridge work". It’s safe to say that Donald Trump is 70 years old, as for the rest, you might want to look those up yourself!

Most Googled recipes

In terms of culinary trends and how to make them, the most popular were banana bread, pulled pork, and poke, which is a type of fish dish from Hawaii, and apparently, nothing to do with Pokémon. 

Various categories

Below lists of the most Googled terms separated into categories:

General:

1. EK 2016
2. Pokémon Go 
3. iPhone 7 
4. Max Verstappen 
5. David Bowie 

Dutch women:

1. Anouk
2. Dafne Schippers
3. Kim Holland 
4. Doutzen Kroes 
5. Chantal Janzen 

Dutch men:

1. Max Verstappen
2. Johan Cruijff 
3. Enzo Knol 
4. Douwe Bob 
5. Virgil van Dijk 

Politicians: 

1. Geert Wilders
2. Mark Rutte 
3. Jesse Klaver 
4. Pim Fortuyn 
5. Frans Timmermans 

Dutch sportsmen:

1. Dafne Schippers 
2. Kiki Bertens 
3. Yuri van Gelder 
4. Estavana Polman
5. Epke Zonderland 

Football celebrities:

1. Johan Cruijff
2. Virgil van Dijk 
3. Dick Advocaat 
4. Arjen Robben 
5. Louis van Gaal 

Dutch musicians: 

1. Douwe Bob 
2. Anouk 
3. André Hazes 
4. Lil' Kleine 
5. Marco Borsato 

TV-programmes:

1. Goede Tijden, Slechte Tijden
2. De Wereld Draait Door 
3. NOS Journaal 
4. Jeugdjournaal 
5. Het Klokhuis 

TV celebrities:

1. Chantal Janzen 
2. Yolanthe Sneijder-Cabau 
3. Sylvie Meis 
4. Geraldine Kemper 
5. Jan Smit 

International celebrities:

1. Justin Bieber
2. Beyoncé 
3. Cristiano Ronaldo 
4. Kim Kardashian 
5. Rihanna 

Challenges:

1. Mannequin challenge
2. Dutch Doobadoo challenge 
3. Mouthguard challenge 
4. Flauwval challenge 
5. Running man challenge 

Food:

1. Banana bread
2. Poké 
3. Pulled pork 
4. Tarte flambée 
5. Chicken nugget 

How old is...

1. Hoe oud is Donald Trump
2. Hoe oud is Anouk
3. Hoe oud is Hillary Clinton 
4. Hoe oud is Tina Turner 
5. Hoe oud is Douwe Bob 

How does it work...

1. Hoe werkt Pokémon Go 
2. Hoe werkt Snapchat 
3. Hoe werkt uTorrent 
4. Hoe werkt een TV (a TV)
5. Hoe werkt een sm-relatie (an SM relationship)

By Kiri Scully