Dutch Genealogical Word List

Dutch (like English and German), is a Germanic language derived from Old Low Franconian and Old Saxon.

Dutch is spoken in the Netherlands, northern Belgium, the Netherlands Antilles in the Caribbean, and Suriname. Flemish, which is spoken in Belgium, is a major dialect (regional variation) of Dutch. It uses words similar to the words on this list. Afrikaans, a separate language spoken in South Africa, is descended from Dutch and preserves many older and dialect features of Dutch, but contains many German and English words as well. Frisian, which is spoken in the Dutch province of Friesland, is a different language from Dutch. The "Additional Resources" section below will tell you how to use the FamilySearch Catalog to find dictionaries of the various dialects and related languages.

In addition, Dutch is found in some early records of the United States (mostly in New York, New Jersey, Michigan, and Iowa) and in South Africa, Indonesia, Sri Lanka, India, Brazil and Taiwan.

Key Words
To find and use specific types of Dutch records, you will need to know some key words in Dutch. This section lists key genealogical terms in English and the Dutch words with the same or similar meanings.

For example, in the first column you will find the English word marriage. In the second column you will find Dutch words with meanings such as marry, marriage, wedding, wedlock, unite, legitimate, joined, and other words used in Dutch records to indicate marriage.

Numbers
In some genealogical records, numbers are written out. This is especially true with dates. The following list gives the cardinal (1, 2, 3) and the ordinal (1st, 2nd, 3rd) versions of each number. Days of the month are written in ordinal form.

Dates and Time
In Dutch records, dates are often written out. For example:

Donderdag, drie en twintig maart in het jaar van onse heer een duizend acht hondert en zesendertig [Thursday, three and twenty March in the year of Our Lord one thousand eight hundred and six and thirty].

To understand Dutch dates, use the following lists as well as the preceding "Numbers" section.

Times of the Day
Dutch birth and death records often indicated the time of day when the birth or death occurred. This is usually written out.

U

 * uit out of, from
 * uiterlijk outward, external, appearance, at the latest
 * uitgeven to publish
 * uittrekken extract
 * uur hour, o'clock

V

 * vaak often
 * vader father
 * vallende ziekte epilepsy
 * van from, of
 * veehoeder herdsman
 * veertien fourteen
 * veertiende fourteenth
 * veertig forty
 * veertigste fortieth
 * veld field
 * veldwachter constable, policeman, patrolman, village policeman
 * verdrinking drowning
 * vergunning permission
 * verjaardag birthday
 * verklaard declared
 * verklaren to declare
 * verklaring declaration, affidavit, sworn statement
 * verkondigen publish (as in banns), proclaim
 * verlamming paralysis, stroke
 * verlaten to leave, left
 * verleden past
 * verlof leave (soldier's), permission
 * verloofd betrothed, engaged
 * verloofde(n) engaged person(s), fiancée, fiancé
 * verloving betrothal, engagement
 * verpandings-kohieren tax ledger
 * verscheiden to pass away or die, various, different
 * verschijnt appears
 * verstopping obstruction, blockage
 * vertering consumption, tuberculosis
 * vertrokken departed, moved, gone away
 * verver dyer, house painter
 * verwantschap relationship
 * verwijderen to remove, to withdraw
 * vestigen to settle, establish
 * vesting fortress
 * vier four
 * vierde fourth
 * vierentwintig twenty-four
 * vierentwintigste twenty-fourth
 * visser fisherman
 * vleeshouwer butcher
 * vlij marsh, swamp
 * V.O.C. Dutch East Indies Company
 * voerman coachman
 * volbracht performed, completed, finished
 * volbrengen to finish, complete
 * volgend following, next
 * volgende dag (the) following day
 * volgens to, after, according to, follows
 * volkstelling census, population records
 * volmacht authorization
 * voltooien to finish, complete
 * voltrekkingen solemnization
 * vondeling foundling
 * voogd guardian
 * voor for, in front of, before
 * vooraf(gang) previous, preceding
 * voorafgaand former
 * voorafgaande dag the previous day
 * voorbij [voorbij gaan = gone by] past, beyond, over
 * voorgaand previous, preceding
 * voorheen previous, formerly, in former days
 * voorjaar spring (season)
 * voorlezing reading, reading aloud
 * voormeld before mentioned, said, stated
 * voormiddag morning, forenoon (in the morning)
 * voornaam given name
 * voornoemde above-mentioned, aforesaid
 * voorouder ancestor
 * voortekening over his signature
 * voorts furthermore, moreover, further, addition, also
 * voortgebracht produced, generated, produced in, brought forth, emitted
 * voorvader ancestor, forefather
 * vorig previous, preceding
 * vorige dag previous day
 * vormer framer, molder
 * vormsel Catholic confirmation
 * vorst monarch, sovereign, ruler
 * vorstendom principality
 * vreemd foreign, strange
 * vriend friend
 * vrijboer farmer owner
 * vrijdag Friday
 * vrijgezel bachelor
 * vroedmeester man who assists in childbirth
 * vroedvrouw midwife
 * vroeg(tijdig) early (a.m.), prematurely, untimely
 * vroeger formerly, earlier
 * vrouw woman, wife, Mrs.
 * vrouw(spersoon) wife, woman, female
 * vrouwelijk female
 * V.W.C. Dutch West Indies Company
 * vijf five
 * vijfde fifth
 * vijfentwintig twenty-five
 * vijfentwintigste twenty-fifth
 * vijftien fifteen
 * vijftiende fifteenth
 * vijftig fifty
 * vijftigste fiftieth

W

 * waar where
 * waaraan which
 * waarheen where to
 * waarom why
 * wagenmaker cartwright, wagon builder, coach builder
 * wanneer when
 * wapen heraldic crest, coat of arms
 * waren were, goods
 * was was
 * wat what, how
 * waterzucht dropsy
 * weduwe widow
 * weduwnaar widower
 * week week
 * weeskamer orphan's court
 * weeskind orphan
 * wegens because of
 * weinig little, small, few
 * welk(e) which
 * wellicht maybe, perhaps
 * werkman laborer
 * west west
 * wet law
 * wethouder alderman
 * wettelijk legal
 * wettelijk kind legitimate child
 * wettig lawful, legal
 * wever weaver
 * wie who
 * wieldraaijer wheelwright
 * wil will, desire, wish, consent
 * wilde(n) Indian(s) (in New York), savage(s)
 * willen to want to
 * winkelier(ster) shopkeeper male (female)
 * winter winter
 * wintermaand winter month,December
 * wit white
 * woensdag Wednesday
 * wonende residing
 * woonachtig resident, living at
 * woonplaats residence, domicile, dwelling place
 * woordenboek dictionary
 * worden to become, be
 * woud forest
 * wij we
 * wijk district, area, section, ward
 * wijlen late (deceased), the late, blessed
 * wijnmaand wine month, October

IJ

 * ijs ice
 * IJsland Iceland
 * ijzer iron
 * ijzer smelterij iron foundry
 * ijzersmid smith, blacksmith
 * ijzerwaren hardware
 * ijzerwerker ironworder

Z

 * zaken trade, business, case, affairs
 * zaterdag Saturday
 * ze they, she
 * zeeman sailor
 * zeepzieder soap maker
 * zelfde the same
 * zes six
 * zesde sixth
 * zesentwintig twenty-six
 * zesentwintigste twenty-sixth
 * zestien sixteen
 * zestiende sixteenth
 * zestig sixty
 * zestigste sixtieth
 * zetten to place, put, impose
 * zeven seven
 * zevende seventh
 * zevenentwintig twenty-seven
 * zevenentwintigste twenty-seventh
 * zevenstigte seventieth
 * zeventien seventeen
 * zeventiende seventeenth
 * zeventig seventy
 * zie see
 * ziekte disease, illness
 * zomer summer
 * zomermaand summer month, June
 * zondag Sunday
 * zonder without
 * zoon son
 * zoontje little son, small son
 * zou should
 * zuid south
 * zuigeling baby, suckling
 * zuivelboer dairy farmer
 * zuster sister
 * zwager brother-in-law
 * zwakheid weakness
 * zwakte weak
 * zwanger pregnant
 * zwart black
 * zwarten Negroes, blacks
 * Zweden Sweden
 * zweeds Swedish
 * zwelling swelling, tumor
 * Zwitserland Switzerland
 * zwitsers Swiss
 * zij she, they
 * zijn its, his, to be, are
 * zijrivier tributary, river, stream