Anybody knows Dutch naming customs?? How would my name be if I were born in Holland???

Question

My full name is:

First: Adam

Middle (which is also my mom's maiden name): Merlos

Last: (my dad's last name): Ramirez

Answer 1

It depends on if you are talking about now or before 1811 AND it depends on if you are talking about first names or last names.

FIRST NAMES

In the old days it was very usual to name the first born son after the paternal grandfather, and the first born daughter to the maternal grandmother. The second son got the name of the other grandfather, and so on. You will notice that the classical model provides two names for sons and two for daughters. Often that was enough. If a child died at an early age, the next baby of the same s*x got the first name of his deceased sibling. A family with only daughters maybe gave the third girl the female version of her grandfather's first name.

There are variations of this model, but the names of the children are usually REALLY good indicators as to who the parents and grandparents are.  

LAST NAMES

Before 1811, there was no civil registry keeping births, marriages or deaths.  There also weren't many surnames.  There were a few, but usually they were used by foreigners or by the very rich.  More common than surnames before 1811 was the use of patronymics. Children even with established last names would also use a patronymic and often therefore received no middle names. The patronymic was based on one's father's name. The oldest form used the possessive of the father's name along with the word for son or daughter. Examples would be a boy born to Jan being named Pieter Jan's zoon while his daughter might be named Geertje Jan's dochter. These forms were also commonly shortened, to Janszn. and Jansdr., or to Jansse, and finally to Jans which could be used for both male or female children. These patronymic names were official and even used on legal documents where inheritances can be seen to pass from father to son with different "last names".

After 1811, many patronymics became permanent surnames such that Peeters, Jansen, Willems are common surnames today.

After 1811, people were required to register their surname. Surnames then carried down just like in many other countries.  One thing neat about the Netherlands is that women keep their name their whole life.  For example if you have a lady named Grietje Kok who married  Johannes Lam, her name in the Netherlands would become Grietje Lam Kok if she wanted to use her husbands name, or it would simply remain Grietje Kok.    Her surname would always be her last name.  It sure makes genealogy easier than in the states!!

Answer 2

Your name would probably just be Adam Ramirez. In the Netherlands, we (normally) use the last name of our father. You can also use your mother's last name but it is less common.

Middle names are mostly given in catholic families. We don't use our mother's maiden name as middle name, we usually use a name like the first name. It can be the name of a saint or the first name of our (grand)mother (if you're a female) or our (grand)father (if you're a male) or something different. So if your father's name is James, your name could be Adam James Ramirez.

Typically Dutch family names are: Jansen and de Vries, or names with "van de", "van der" or "van den" in it such as "Joost van den Vondel".

If I'm not mistaken, "Ramirez" means "son of the sun". Your Dutch name could be "Adam van der Zon" then!

Answer 3

They are the same as the majority of the western world. You take your surname from your father, and your parents would choose your first and middle names. So you would still be called Adam Merlos Ramirez.

I have family from Holland.