SiTU MEMO 10

First and last names  of most people (Royalty and Nobility being an exception) have the tendecy to shrink or transform over time. “Hendrik” leads to Hendry and later to Henry. In the Netherlands having a last name became compulsory after the French occupation untill 1813. This was an excellent possibility to create a new family-concept. Some made their names longer bij putting “van der” before their occupation or trade. For instance being a miller, their family name was noted as “van der Molen”, some called themselves “King” or even “Fart”. Some of those “funny names” still survive and flourish. The job was done by civil servants, who visited every house in the Republic. As a local story goes many Frisians have “Dutch” (Hollands) as their second language. This led sometimes to complete misunderstanding. A farmerswife misunderstood the question , "what is the name of your man" completely and answered “Wurkjindewei”. Meaning “my husband is working on the land”. This is wat the civil servant noted and the name s .

A second cause of changing names is mass-migration. In the United States you see the names, change when they pas through customs. “van der Molen” becomes “Vandermolen” or "Vanderbilt" (an area in Frisia). You see the same shrinkig process in names of cities too. Vancouver is a shortened version of "van Coevorden", a town in the Netherlands, where the first settlers came from.

The history of some names are bizar. The president of the United States last name OBAMA, has Dutch-Frisian roots. Obbema is the name of a Dutch peppermint trader, who produced several ofspring in Africa, with local wifes. From Obbema to Obama, simple as that. Names travel all around the world. In our developing multi-culti world, your name makes you unique. What's in a name? A rock to build on. Research the meaning of the names you carry and keep the results a secret. Knowing some-one names gives you power over him. Names are imprinting tools and a sign and a sigh to the cosmos. Welcome to the SiTU Academy. You made reservations?