Before 1852, the entire polder of Haarlemmermeer in which the airport lies was a large lake with some shallow areas.
There are multiple stories of how the place got its name.
The most popular story is that in the shallow waters sudden violent storms could claim many ships.
Winds were particularly strong in the Schiphol area since the prevailing wind direction is from the south-west, and Schiphol lies in the north-eastern corner of the lake.
In English, schiphol translates to 'ships hell', a reference to many ships supposedly lost in the lake.
When the lake was reclaimed, however, no shipwrecks were found.
Another possible origin of the name is the word scheepshaal.
A scheepshaal is a ditch or small canal in which ships would be towed from one lake to another.
A third explanation would be that the name derived from the words schip hol.
This is a low-lying area of land (hol) from where wood would be obtained to build ships.

After the lake was dredged in the mid-1800s, a fortification named Fort Schiphol was built in the area which was part of the Stelling van Amsterdam defence works.

Schiphol opened on 16 September 1916 as a military airbase, with a few barracks and a field serving as platform and runways.
When civil aircraft started to use the field (17 December 1920), it was often called Schiphol-les-bains.
The Fokker aircraft manufacturer started a factory near Schiphol airport in 1919.
The end of the First World War also saw the beginning of civilian use of Schiphol Airport and the airport eventually lost its military role completely.

By 1940, Schiphol had four asphalt runways at 45-degree angles, all 1,020 metres (3,350 ft) or less.
One was extended to become today's runway 04/22; two others crossed that runway at 52.312°N 4.800°E. The airport was captured by the German military that same year and renamed Fliegerhorst Schiphol.
A large number of anti-aircraft defences were installed in the vicinity of the airport and fake decoy airfields were constructed in the vicinity near Bennebroek, Vijfhuizen, and Vogelenzang to try to confuse allied bombers.
A railway connection was also built.
Despite these defences, the airfield was still bombed intensively; an exceptionally heavy attack on 13 December 1943 caused so much damage that it rendered the airfield unusable as an active base.
After that, it served only as an emergency landing field, until the Germans themselves destroyed the remnants of the airfield at the start of Operation Market Garden.
At the end of the war, the airfield was quickly restored: the first aircraft, a Douglas DC-3, landed on 8 July 1945.

A new terminal building was completed in 1949 and it was decided that Schiphol was to become the primary airport of the Netherlands.
The expansion came at the cost of a small town called Rijk, which was demolished to make room for the growing airport.
The name of this town is remembered in the name of the present Schiphol-Rijk industrial estate.
In 1967, Schiphol expanded even further with a new terminal area at its current location.
Most of the 1967 terminal is still in use today (Departure Halls 1 and 2) as are parts of the original piers (now called C, D, and E).
Dutch designer Benno Wissing created signage for Schiphol Airport, well known for its clear writing and thorough colour-coding; to avoid confusion, he prohibited any other signage in the shades of yellow and green used.
The new terminal building replaced the older facilities once located on what is now the east side of the airport.
The A-Pier (now C-pier) of the airport was modified in 1970 to allow Boeing 747 aircraft to use the boarding gates.
A new pier (D, now called F) opened in 1977, dedicated to handling wide-body aircraft.
The first railway station at the airport followed in 1978.
Before 1852, the entire polder of Haarlemmermeer in which the airport lies was a large lake with some shallow areas. There are multiple stories of how the place got its name. The most popular story is that in the shallow waters sudden violent storms could claim many ships. Winds were particularly strong in the Schiphol area since the prevailing wind direction is from the south-west, and Schiphol lies in the north-eastern corner of the lake. In English, schiphol translates to 'ships hell', a reference to many ships supposedly lost in the lake. When the lake was reclaimed, however, no shipwrecks were found. Another possible origin of the name is the word scheepshaal. A scheepshaal is a ditch or small canal in which ships would be towed from one lake to another. A third explanation would be that the name derived from the words schip hol. This is a low-lying area of land (hol) from where wood would be obtained to build ships.
After the lake was dredged in the mid-1800s, a fortification named Fort Schiphol was built in the area which was part of the Stelling van Amsterdam defence works.
Schiphol opened on 16 September 1916 as a military airbase, with a few barracks and a field serving as platform and runways. When civil aircraft started to use the field (17 December 1920), it was often called Schiphol-les-bains. The Fokker aircraft manufacturer started a factory near Schiphol airport in 1919. The end of the First World War also saw the beginning of civilian use of Schiphol Airport and the airport eventually lost its military role completely.
By 1940, Schiphol had four asphalt runways at 45-degree angles, all 1,020 metres (3,350 ft) or less. One was extended to become today's runway 04/22; two others crossed that runway at 52.312°N 4.800°E. The airport was captured by the German military that same year and renamed Fliegerhorst Schiphol. A large number of anti-aircraft defences were installed in the vicinity of the airport and fake decoy airfields were constructed in the vicinity near Bennebroek, Vijfhuizen, and Vogelenzang to try to confuse allied bombers. A railway connection was also built. Despite these defences, the airfield was still bombed intensively; an exceptionally heavy attack on 13 December 1943 caused so much damage that it rendered the airfield unusable as an active base. After that, it served only as an emergency landing field, until the Germans themselves destroyed the remnants of the airfield at the start of Operation Market Garden. At the end of the war, the airfield was quickly restored: the first aircraft, a Douglas DC-3, landed on 8 July 1945.
A new terminal building was completed in 1949 and it was decided that Schiphol was to become the primary airport of the Netherlands. The expansion came at the cost of a small town called Rijk, which was demolished to make room for the growing airport. The name of this town is remembered in the name of the present Schiphol-Rijk industrial estate. In 1967, Schiphol expanded even further with a new terminal area at its current location. Most of the 1967 terminal is still in use today (Departure Halls 1 and 2) as are parts of the original piers (now called C, D, and E). Dutch designer Benno Wissing created signage for Schiphol Airport, well known for its clear writing and thorough colour-coding; to avoid confusion, he prohibited any other signage in the shades of yellow and green used. The new terminal building replaced the older facilities once located on what is now the east side of the airport. The A-Pier (now C-pier) of the airport was modified in 1970 to allow Boeing 747 aircraft to use the boarding gates. A new pier (D, now called F) opened in 1977, dedicated to handling wide-body aircraft. The first railway station at the airport followed in 1978.
Amsterdam Airport Schiphol