Rembrandt van Rijn was born in 1606 in Leiden, in the Dutch Republic.
He was baptized on 15 July 1606, although some historical records and modern references discuss uncertainty about his exact birth date. His parents were Harmen Gerritszoon van Rijn, a miller, and Neeltgen Willemsdochter van Zuijtbrouck. Rembrandt later used his first name as his principal artistic signature, an unusual choice that helped make the name internationally recognizable.
Rembrandt was born during the Dutch Golden Age, when the Netherlands was a major center of commerce, printing, science, and art. He trained first in Leiden before moving to Amsterdam in 1631, where portrait commissions and history paintings brought him rapid success.
A common mix-up is to confuse Rembrandt’s birth year with 1607, which appears in some older or secondary references. The standard modern date used by major reference works is 1606.