Dutch term – Roepnaam

8 November 2021 by 2 Comments

A roepnaam is a call name.

Roepnamen were often derivatives of the official name. For example, these were the call names of my grandparents:

  • Hendrik Hoitink, known as Henk
  • Gesiena Wilhelmina Woordes, known as Mien, a diminutive of Wilhelmina.
  • Johannes Marijnissen, known as Jan.
  • Catharina Flooren, known as Toos. Catharina was shortened to Cato, which became Toos (pronounced “toes”) in some southern parts of the Netherlands.
two boys showing blackboards with their names

Two boys show their first names. Credits: Tropenmuseum via Open Cultuurdata (CC-BY-SA)

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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. Esther Bos says
    13 November 2021 at 3:27 am

    Regarding the Dutch word “roepnaam”: Here in America (Michigan) we call it a “nickname”, not a “call name”.

    Reply

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