New Netherland Women and their Names Here are a few features that are unique to
women's names in New Netherland:
-dr at the end of a name
When women used patronyms, they often put the word docther (meaning "daughter") at the end of their last name. This was abbreviated as -dr (as Lysbeth Sterck Jansdr or Mericken Aert Willemsdr).
space
spaceUse of a maiden name after marriage
Most of the time, the women of New Netherland used their maiden name, rather than adopt their husband's last name. This continued well after the English conquest of New Netherland in Dutch communities. There are rare exceptions, however, when a woman used her husband's first name as her last name.Addition of -je at the end of a first name
Women (and some young boys) often had the suffix -je or -jen added to their last names. It has the same effect in Dutch as adding -ie or -y to an English name or -ita to a Spanish name. Sometimes, male names had -je added onto them to turn them into female names (such as Guisbertje or Cornelisje).
spaceAre the names below male or female names?
Click below to find out:
Return to:
Michelle's Main Page New Netherland Family History Names Page (General) To contact me: michelle@boydhouse.com
Last updated 15 Nov 2002.
© Michelle Boyd, 2003.
