Netherlands Naming Customs

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Moderator
The FamilySearch moderator for The Netherlands is Daniel Jones.

Online Tools[edit | edit source]

BYU Script Tutorial List of Dutch Surnames
BYU Script Tutorial List of Dutch Given Names
Netherlands Surname Database and Distribution Map 300,000 surnames of all persons with the Dutch nationality, who lived in the Netherlands in the year 2007. Also included are about 110,000 family names registered at the census from 1947.

Surnames[edit | edit source]

Name adoption records (Naamsaanneming registers)[edit | edit source]

Patronymic surnames were common in several provinces prior to 1811. After that all citizens were required to adopt a fixed surname. Naamsaanneming registers are used to determine prior naming patterns.

Record type: Assignment of surnames for patronymic families and Jews.
Time Period: 1808-1814 and 1826.
Content: Heads’ of families previous and new names, ages and/or birth dates, number or names and ages of children and grandchildren, marks or signatures.
Location: Provincial, state, city and municipal archives.
Population coverage: 60%.
Reliability: Very good.^[1]

Given Names[edit | edit source]

For Further Reading[edit | edit source]

Dutch Name in Wikipedia
The Origin of Names and Their Effect on Genealogical Research in the Netherlands. An in-depth explanation and history of Dutch given names, surnames, and patronymics.

References[edit | edit source]

↑ The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: The Netherlands,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 1987-1998.

[profile-1] The Family History Department of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, “Family History Record Profile: The Netherlands,” Word document, private files of the FamilySearch Content Strategy Team, 1987-1998.

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