[9]: 45 Diminutive chickens of similar coloration to today's Dutch Bantams have been seen in the Netherlands for hundreds of years, but the exact origin of the breed is unclear.

[10]: 119  Historically, it is supposed that these tiny chickens were selectively bred because only small eggs could be kept by peasant farmers, while larger ones were required to be sent to the kitchens of the landed gentry.

[10]: 119  The first written reference to the Dutch Bantam as a distinct breed is in the Hand- en standaardboek of R.T. Maitland, director of the Royal Zoological Botanical Gardens [nl] of The Hague, published in 1882; he referred to them as patrijskrielen, "partridge bantams".

[3] It reached the United Kingdom towards the end of the 1960s; the British Dutch Bantam Club was formed in 1982, and thirteen colors are standardized.

Due to their light weight and relatively large wings, Dutch Bantams fly rather well.