Difficulty is sometimes experienced in the examination of church records in this region (and the same occurs in the records in family Bibles and inscriptions on tombstones) by the want of familiarity with Dutch nomenclature. OLDE ULSTER has been requested to assist the inexperienced in such matters.

The following list gives the English equivalent of many of the more puzzling of Dutch Christian names. The final "je" in which so many Dutch names end bears the same relation to them which the "ie" of the English names does to the English. It is a diminutive and applied as a pet name. It is pronounced ye. It is usually applied to women's names but often to those of boys. There are many instances in which it is applied to men. It was no more common for the Dutch to call Anna " Antje" than for the English to call it "Annie." A familiar instance of the diminutive given to men is yet to be found in this county in the modification of the name Cornelius. It is still common to call Cornelius "Case." This is a corruption. The diminutive is correctly given in the list as "Keesje."

These instances suffice to explain the equivalent and the usage.

Aaltje = Alice.

Aart = Arthur.

Aetje = Eve.

Agnietje = Agnes.

Alyd = Adelia.

Andreas = Andrew.

Anneken, or Annetje, or Antje = Anna.

Adelheyd = Adelaide or Adeline.

Arendt = Aaron.

Alberick = Aubrey.

Alta = Alida.

Arriaantje = Harriet or Arrietta.

Barent = Bernard.

Badeloch = Beatrice.

Bastiaan = Sebastian.

Betje = Elizabeth.

Boudewyn = Baldwin.

Bram = Abraham.

Bregje = Bridget.

Caspar = Jasper.

Catrijn = Catharine.

Christoffel or Stoffel = Christopher.

Christyntje = Christina.

Coenraadt = Conrad.

Daatje = Alice.

Derrick = Theodorick.

Dientje = Diana.

Dirkje = Dorothy.

Doris = Theodore.

Elsje = Elsie.

Emmetje = Emma.

Engeltje = Angelica.

Epje = Egbert.

Evert = Everard.

Femmetje = Phoebe.

Fletje = Sophia.

Floris = Florence.

Francyntje or Fransje = Frances

Freek = Frederick.

Frem = Ephraim.

Geert or Gerrit or Garrett = Gerard.

Geertje or Geertrui = Gertrude

Geertruyd or Geertruy = Gertrude.

Gerrtie = Geraldine

Gijs = Gilbert.

Godfried = Jeffrey.

Govert = Godfrey.

Griet or Grietje = Margaret.

Guido = Guy.

Gysbert = Gilbert.

Hansje = Joan.

Hein = Henry.

Heintje = Henrietta.

Hendrik = Henry.

Hendrikje = Henrietta

Heyltje = Helena.

Hieronimus = Jerome.

Hillegond = Huldah.

Hiskia = Hezekiah.

Hilletje = Maria. It has been suggested that this should be Hilda or Huldah

Huybert = Hubert.

Jaantje = Jane.

Jaap or Jacobus = James.

Jacoba or Jacomyntje = Jemima.

Jaapje or Jannetje or Jansje = Jane.

Jan = John.

Jeronimus = Jerome.

Johannes = John.

Jochem = Joachim.

Joost = Justus.

Joris or Jury or Ury = George.

Josyntje = Justina

Jurian = George.

Kaatje = Catharine or Kate.

Kareltje = Caroline.

Katryne or Tryne = Catharine.

Keetje = Cornelia

Kees or Keesje = Cornelius.

Kersten or Christiaan or Shaan = Christian.

Klaar or Klaartje = Clara.

Klaas or Claus = Nicholas

Klaasje = Klarissa.

Kobus = Jacob or James.

Koenraadt = Conrad.

Koosje = Jaqueline.

Krelis = Cornelius.

Krisje = Christiana.

Lambrecht = Lambert.

Leen = Leonard.

Leentje = Eleanor or Helen.

Letje = Letitia.

Lezart = Elisha.

Lijsje = Elizabeth.

Lodewyk = Louis

Lotje = Charlotte.

Louw = Lawrence

Ludovicus = Louis.

Luytje = Lucy or Lucia.

Lys = Elizabeth.

Maartje = Maria or Mary.

Maarten = Martin.

Machiel = Michael.

Machteld = Matilda.

Manus = Herman.

Margaretha or Margrietje = Margaret.

Marvtje = Maria or Mary.

Matje = Matilda.

Matthys = Matthew.

Meewes = Bartholomew.

Mietje = Mary.

Mijntje = Wilhelmina.

Naatje = Anna.

Neeltje = Cornelia.

Nikolaas = Nicholas.

Niesje = Agnes.

Pietje = Peter.

Pieje = Petronella.

Reindert = Reginald.

Rip (Rijpert) = Rupert.

Roelof or Rolfe = Ralph.

Rutger = Roger.

Rykaard = Richard.

Saam = Samuel.

Saartje = Sarah.

Sannertje = Susan.

Seletje = Celia.

Skiaa = Hezekiah.

Staats = Eustace.

Stans = Constance.

Stijntje = Christina.

Stoffel = Christopher.

Taatje = Sarah.

Tanneken = Ann.

Teeuwis = Matthew.

Teunis = Anthony.

Teuntje = Antonia.

Tiebout = Theobald.

Tientje = Albertina.

Tijmen = Timothy.

Tijs = Matthias.

Tjaatje (Chawchee) = Charity.

Tjerck (Charick) = Theodorick

Toon = Anthony.

Treesje = Theresa.

Trui or Truitje = Gertrude.

Trijn or Tryntje = Catharine.

Urseltje = Ursula.

Valentyn or Felte = Valentine.

Wouter = Walter.

Wyntje = Lavinia.

Ydtje = Ida.

Yzaak = Isaak.

Zanneke = Susan.

End of Dutch Names
From the first volume of Olde Ulster Magazine originally published in 1904,
reprinted in 1992 and available in cloth for $29.95

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