Quick tip – Popular First Names Per Location

The Corpus of Given Names in the Netherlands is a website by the Meertens Institute for research and documentation of the Dutch language and culture. It has a database of almost half a million Dutch first names, taken from civil registration records.

The website has Lists of Popular Names. For each municipality or province, you can see the most popular first names from 1880 to the present. I like using these lists to see whether my ancestors gave their children popular names or not. If not, there might be a reason for the unusual name that could warrant a closer look.

Example: Winterswijk, 1914 and 1916

My grandfather Hendrik Hoitink was born in Winterswijk in 1914. The top three boys’ names in Winterswijk of that year were Jan, Gerrit, and Hendrik. So his parents did not choose a particularly original name. I already knew that, since he was named after his grandfather, also Hendrik Hoitink. My grandfather went by the name Henk, a diminutive of Hendrik.

My grandmother Gesiena Wilhelmina Woordes was born in Winterswijk in 1916. Gesiena was the number four name and Wilhelmina the number eight. I know grandma was named after her grandmother Gesiena van Eerden. “Wilhelmina” was probably added in honor of Queen Wilhelmina, and to give her two first names, like her older brothers. Like most people in Winterswijk, she went by her second name. She went by Mien, a diminutive of Wilhelmina.

Henk and Mien on the steps of Winterswijk town hall

Henk Hoitink and Mien Woordes on the steps of Winterswijk town hall. Credits: Personal collection

About Yvette Hoitink

Yvette Hoitink, MLitt, CG®, QG™ is a professional genealogist, writer, and lecturer in the Netherlands. She has a Master of Letters in Family and Local History from the University of Dundee, and holds the Certification of Genealogist and Qualified Genealogist credentials. Yvette served on the Board of Directors of the Association of Professional Genealogists and won excellence awards for her articles in the National Genealogical Society Quarterly and the Association of Professional Genealogists Quarterly. Yvette has been doing genealogy for over 30 years. She helps people from across the world find their ancestors from the Netherlands and its former colonies, including New Netherland. Read about Yvette's professional genealogy services.

Comments

  1. Gerrit Stemerdink says

    The picture of Henk and Mien was taken while they entered the town hall. That building had two staircases. After the wedding the other one was used. I have no idea why this custom was followed, maybe because the onlookers could see the bride better?

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