What is the meaning of ...hof and ...dam?
I found many places in the Netherlands named with ... hof or ...dam.

What is the meaning of "hof" and " dam"?

Dam, in English, means the works to avoid water coming into the land. Can I take the ...dam as some city beside water, like Rotterdam , Amsterdam? And there is also a Madurodam! It's really a lovely place. I spent about 8 hours there to see the beautiful and incredible architectures.

:) thanks.

Maggie

Question

What is the meaning of ...hof and ...dam?
I found many places in the Netherlands named with ... hof or ...dam. 

What is the meaning of  "hof" and " dam"?

Dam, in English, means the works to avoid water coming into the land. Can I take the ...dam as some city beside water, like Rotterdam , Amsterdam? And there is also a Madurodam! It's really a lovely place. I spent about 8 hours there to see the beautiful and incredible architectures.

:) thanks.

Maggie

Answer

Hof usually means a walled garden. Most towns with -hof in their name refer to a park that some medieval nobleman saw as his personal garden or hunting ground. 
Hof can also mean court, where judges...uhm.. judge.

Amsterdam means 'dam on the Amstel'. Rotterdam means 'dam on the Rotte'. The extra r is from old Dutch, we don't ad those anymore

Answer

Yes, dam has the same meaning here. Amsterdam is named after a dam which was built in the 13th century.
Hof is like an older term for garden ;)