The Dutch alphabet has a letter ij, not a y. Dutch names with a ij typically get spelled with a y in English, for example Dijkstra/Dykstra, Wijnveen/Wynveen. Next time you're having problems finding a person in a Dutch search engine, check that you've used the Dutch spelling. … [Read more...]
Quick tip: “Van”-names
24 July 2013 by 3 Comments
Many Dutch names start with "Van" (from) like "Van Benthem" (from Bentheim) and "Van den Berg " (From the mountain/hill). Often "Van"-names originated if somebody moved and used his origin to describe who he was. Some people assume that families with "Van"-names are members of the nobility. Although many noble families used "Van"-names (e.g. "Van Egmond," "Van Grevenbroeck"), the opposite is not true since most "Van"-names were used by commoners. See also: Prefixes in … [Read more...]
