Many Dutch names have prefixes like Ter, Van or Van der. People have asked me if and how they should be capitalized. Here's what the current rules are for Dutch (they're different in Belgium and other parts of the world). A prefix that is preceded by another part of the name is not capitalized. Parts of the name are first names, initials, other prefixes or other last names. Abbreviated prefixes are always lowercase. In other cases, the prefix is capitalized. Examples of Dutch names with … [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...]
Prefixes in surnames
10 April 2005 by 70 Comments
Many Dutch family names have prefixes like 'de' or 'van'. They have a special role in the Dutch family name which you have to be aware of when researching names with prefixes. … [Read more...]
