Dutch Term – Nederlands Hervormd

Nederlands Hervormd means Dutch Reformed, a protestant religion. You may come across the term in population registers or church records.

The Dutch Reformed church adopted that name in 1816. Before that, it was known as Nederduits Gereformeerd [Nederdutch Reformed]. There are many other protestant religions that split off from the main Dutch Reformed church, including Gereformeerd [Christian Reformed].

Tower of the Dutch Reformed Church, Ezinge. Credits: Rijksdienst voor het Cultureel Erfgoed, photo 021077 (CC-BY-SA)

About Yvette Hoitink

Yvette Hoitink, CG®, QG™ is a professional genealogist in the Netherlands. She holds the Certified Genealogist credential from the Board for Certification of Genealogists and has a post-graduate diploma in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee. She has been doing genealogy for over 30 years and helps people from across the world find their ancestors in the Netherlands. Read about Yvette's professional genealogy services.

Comments

  1. Mijn moeder was Nederlands Hervormd (zo ben ik dus ook gedoopt) en dat is toch echt iets anders dan GEREFORMEERD; dat laatste noemden ze bij ons op het eiland “de zwarte kousjes kerk”, omdat ze daar zo streng waren. Dat zijn echt 2 compleet verschillende geloven.

  2. I assume that the same would’ve applied in South Africa? It makes so much more sense now in understanding why certain of our records go from “Nederduits Gereformeerde Kerk” to Hervormde Kerk and Gereformeerde Kerk over the years

    • I do not know whether the churches in South Africa retained ties with the Netherlands motherchurch after the English took over, but that could well have happened. I am not an expert in South African research.

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