Romijn (pronounced "Ro-maine") was born in Berkeley, California, to Jaap Romijn, a custom furniture maker, and Elizabeth Kuizenga, a public school English teacher and textbook author. Her father, a native of Barneveld, The Netherlands, is Dutch, and her mother is a second-generation Dutch American who met Romijn's father while studying in Europe Romijn's maternal grandfather, Dr. Henry B. Kuizenga, was a Presbyterian minister and seminary professor. Many sources say that she was once nicknamed the "Jolly Blonde Giant" but she has admitted to making that up 'for a laugh'. While studying music (voice) at the Univ. of S. Cal Santa Cruz, she became involved with fashion modeling and eventually moved to Paris for more than two years. Romijn is fluent in French and Dutch, in addition to her native language, English.