Sometimes, deciphering a given name in an old handwritten document is not as easy as one might suppose. This could be due to the widespread use of abbreviations or to the difficulty in reading the handwriting. Use the list below to assist you in interpreting the names mentioned in the documents.

Also, keep in mind that there are a lot of variations on the traditional names. You can have variation in sound (Dirk instead of Derk), the name  can be an abbreviation (Cor instead of Cornelis),  you can have a suffix (Hubertus instead of Hubert, Greetje instead of Greet), you can have variation in spelling (Teofiel instead of Theophiel), or the name can be a compilation of two names (Willem Johannes becomes Wiljo).  A lot of names are derived from a traditional name (Frits or Freek is derived from Fredericus), or from the masculine form of a name (Christian for a male becomes Christien for a female). 

List of Names Extracted From Behind the Name