Dutch term: tussenvoegsel

portrait photo

Cornelius Vanderbilt. The Vanderbilts consolidated their tussenvoegsels after emigration

A tussenvoegsel (literally: something put in between) is a prefix of a surname. Common prefixes are De (the) or Van den (from the). Tussenvoegsels are ignored when determining the alphabetical order, so De Vries can be found under the V.

See the article about prefixes in surnames for more information.

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. William Termyn says

    Dutch ancesters spell the name Termijn, or ter Meijn, or Ter Meijn. What is the meaning of “ter” and what is the difference between “ter” , “ten”. Living in America, I simply anglicized the name with “y” for simplicity’s sake. Thanks you so much. Bill Termyn

  2. William Termyn says

    Dutch ancestors spell the name Termijn, or ter Mijn, or Ter Mijn, or Termeijn. What is the meaning of ”
    “ter” and “Ter”. Living in Amerca, I simply anglicized the name with “y” for simplicity’s sake, Thank you so much. Bill Termyn

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