Nordstrand is now a peninsula in Germany on the North Sea, but at the time of the Dutch Colonial Period was a part of the larger island, Strand in North Friesland, which became several smaller islands in the Burchardi Flood of 1634.
The flood drowned many people, and over the following years, a group of families left Nordstrand (Noordstrandt) for a fresh start in New Amsterdam. Because they came from this area, several took the last name: van Nordstrand.