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Archiver > APG > 2009-02 > 1233762027
From:
Subject: Re: [APG] Anglicizing Dutch Names
Date: Wed, 04 Feb 2009 10:40:27 -0500
References: <14884255.1233755919859.JavaMail.root@mswamui-billy.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
In-Reply-To: <14884255.1233755919859.JavaMail.root@mswamui-billy.atl.sa.earthlink.net>
One more piece of advice to people dealing with Dutch names.? Keep in mind that Dutch and Frisian names (both given names and surnames) are quite distinctive.? You won't often find Frisian names outside Frisian communities.?? Frisian and Dutch immigrants did live among each other in northern Illinois and in parts of Iowa and Minnesota, and there were a few intermarriages, so you do start to see some convergence in given names in those communities.
Jay Fonkert, CG
Saint Paul, MN
-----Original Message-----
From: doumajk <>
To: Michael Neill <>; Ida Skarson McCormick <>
Cc: APG-L <>
Sent: Wed, 4 Feb 2009 7:58 am
Subject: Re: [APG] Anglicizing Dutch Names
My expperience with Dutch names is later - 19th century immigrants - but I find
the names seem to change to a similar sound or a simple English equivalent, I
don't think anyone was looking back to some root - be it Biblical or Greek or
whatever. Foeke became Frank - the immigrant is known by the original name, but
his son is Foeke one census year and Frank the next. And later sons of sons are
all Frank. Likewise Halbe born in the Netherlands stayed Halbe (for his short
life) but his son and grandsons (my dad among them) are Harold. Gerrit is
usually George. Aaltje the mother is generally called that, (her daughter
although also born in Neth.) became Alice. Trijntje became Kate (sort of
connected thru Catherine?) Then there is Jacomijntje - who apparently was called
Samantha, because her American schoolteacher decided so!
Many of mine are very simple - Jan = John, Willem = William, Hendrik = Henry,
Lieven = Levi. I also have a Reka, but she started as Hendrika. And Berendina
was known as Berdine.
Also interesting is the time the naming custom (not always followed in the old
country) was dropped here. My Dad (eldest son) has a form of his father's name,
but the others have no connection I can fathom to family names. It's one
generation earlier on my Mom's side - first child or two might have Americanized
versions of the grandparent names, then it's pretty much a free-for-all. Also,
my one grandmonther came from a Catholic family, so they have latinized versions
for some names -- Hermannus, Johannes. 5 names - male and female forms,
alternated as first and middles! Except for Aaltje.
Jane
(all Dutch - back to 1650 or so anyway)
.
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