More from this other list - I am NOT Elda,
Elida

---------- Forwarded Message ----------

From:   INTERNET:[email protected],
INTERNET:[email protected]
TO:     PADUTCHgenONLY-L, INTERNET:[email protected]
DATE:   5/16/99 2:33 PM

RE:      Re: patronymics

In a message dated 5/16/99 2:14:23 PM Eastern Daylight Time, 
[email protected] writes:

 It has been my understanding that van was a place name-of a town, as in
>  van Hoorn, or of a farm. Dutch patronymics were sen or son as Janssen,
>  frequently shortened to se as in Jansse or Dirkse.  Polish patronymics
>  end in wicz, as Russian ones, used as middle names, end in ich for males
>  or ova for females.  For example, Pyotr Ilyich Tschaikowsky.

Elda has pointed out (and I don't know WHERE my brain was this morning when
I 
wrote the Patronymics message) that Van is not actually a patronymic--but 
rather it means "of" or "concerning" or "about" so it can refer to a place
or 
anything else for that matter when it is used in a surname--and not "son
of" 
as the other names cited in my message refer to.  I believe the same would 
apply to Von for the German names.  

The patronymic German name would actually be the seldom used "sohn" on the 
end of the surname.

Elda is also correct that in some countries the patronymic comes at the end

of the surname and not in front of it as in the cases cited above.

Thanks for setting me straight Elda--I really did know that but my brain
and 
keyboard weren't in sync.  

Joan

==== SCROOTS Mailing List ====