ACADEMY OF SAINT GABRIEL REPORT 1306 http://www.s-gabriel.org/1306 ************************************ From: "S Friedemann" 7 Nov 1998 Greetings from the Academy of Saint Gabriel! You asked for information on your Dutch surname . Here is the information that we have found. is derived from the Dutch words "ash" and "brook." It is the name of a city just southeast of Bruges [1], spelled as in 1622, 1540, 1582, and 1593. [2] (The {sz} represents the German ess-zett ligature, which looks like a lower case Greek beta, and is pronounced \ss\) Inherited surnames, as we use them in the modern world, were not in the Low Countries until the early 19th century, when Napoleon made it law that they do so. Before then, people used "bynames" -- nicknames given to them to distinguish them from other people with the same given names. A man might have been called because he lived in a town called ; or he might have been called because he lived near a stream of that name. His relatives might have been known by completely different names. We hope that this letter has been useful to you, and that you will not hesitate to write again if any part was unclear or if you have further questions. Research and commentary on this letter was provided by Josh Mittleman, Brian R. Speer, Brian M. Scott, Spence Mabry, and Richard Hershberger. For the Academy, --Sara L. Friedemann November 7, 1998 --------------------------------------- References: [1] "The Times Atlas of the World", Comprehensive edition (London: Times Books, 1975). [2] Bossu, Jozef, _Vlaanderen in Oude Kaarten: drie eeuwen cartografie_ (Tielt: Lannoo, 1983).