Five Brothers and a War

Dutch Naming Protocols—Surnames

Interestingly, and perhaps not surprisingly, as the Dutch language was being modified and modernized, Dutch surnames were not. There are thousands of surnames that now are archaic in their spellings, but because they are actual names, they have not been modified. For example, the new spelling for the old Dutch word jagt (“hunt”) is jacht . Both are pronounced identically. While the word itself has changes, the name has remained in the old version. In Holland, surnames were a relatively recent development. While many had surnames prior to Napoleon becoming emperor, it was only after a decree in 1811 that surnames became required. Previous to the addition of surnames, children were known as a child of their father, called “ patronymic ” names. For example, Jan the son of Harman would be known as Jan Harmanszoon , or Jan Harman’s-son. This would then be shortened to Hermansz. A notable Harmonszoon was Rembrandt, whose full name is Rembandt Hermanszoon van Rijn. Rembrandt was born to Harmen Gerritszoon van Rijn and Neeltgen Willemsdochter van Zuytbrouck. Deciphering that, Rembrandt was the son of Harmen (Harmenszoon) who in turn was the son of Gerrit (Gerritszoon), and his mother was Neeltgen, the daughter of Willem (Willemsdochter). This brings up the next naming protocol, which is the inclusion of the word “van”, meaning either “from” or “of”. It can also be “van de” or “van der” meaning “from the”. This convention is called “ toponymic, ” meaning that the name is derived from a place. Thus, in the case of Rembrandt, his family was apparently from the region of the Rhine River, hence the name “van Rijn.” Yet another convention is occupational. The person could be the equivalent of John Carpenter, or Jan Timmerman, or a surname Brouwer , meaning “Brewer”—a person making beer. In earlier years, had Jan Timmerman’s son become a brewer, he could have simply changed his name to Jan Brouwer because there was no formal system for tracking surnames. Many people’s surnames derive from some physical trait. De Groot means “the Big,” de Jong means “the Young” and de Lange means “the Tall”. Other names are those of animals. For example, de Leeuw means “the Lion” and Vogel means “Bird”. Some refer to a desire to be something, such as Prins or “Prince”, or de Koning meaning “the King”. Finally, some just fit into the category “what were they thinking?,” such as the surname Naaktgeboren , meaning “Born Naked”.

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Five Brothers and a War

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