Family Name Adoption in the Dutch Colonies at the Abolition of Slavery in the Context of National Family Name Legislation: A Reflection on Contemporary Name Change
Name change can only take place in the Netherlands under strict conditions and according to patronizing regulations. At the moment, an amendment of name law is being drafted that would give descendants of Dutch citizens whose ancestors lived in slavery an exemption. If they have a family name that t...
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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MDPI AG
2023-12-01
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| Series: | Genealogy |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/7/4/96 |
| _version_ | 1797380990209884160 |
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| author | Leendert Brouwer |
| author_facet | Leendert Brouwer |
| author_sort | Leendert Brouwer |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Name change can only take place in the Netherlands under strict conditions and according to patronizing regulations. At the moment, an amendment of name law is being drafted that would give descendants of Dutch citizens whose ancestors lived in slavery an exemption. If they have a family name that their ancestors received upon their release, they may change it free of charge. It remains to be seen, however, whether the desire to adopt new names in keeping with a reclaimed African identity can also be granted. After all, that would conflict with the general regulations when creating a new name. The whole issue shows political opportunism. First, it would be useful to get a good picture of name adoption in light of surnaming in general. Is it right to consider the names in question as slave names? Are they really that bad? It is more likely that precisely the exceptional position now obtained leads to undesirable profiling. In fact, the only solution to embarrass no one is a wholesale revision of the name law that does away with outdated 19th century limitations. Why should anyone be unhappy with their name? Why should someone who insists on having a different name be prevented from doing so? This essay examines the announced change in the law against the background of surnaming in general and the acquisition of family names in Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles in particular. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:44:56Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-9a943bdf014c4759bfaeee68f82a6440 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2313-5778 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-08T20:44:56Z |
| publishDate | 2023-12-01 |
| publisher | MDPI AG |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Genealogy |
| spelling | doaj.art-9a943bdf014c4759bfaeee68f82a64402023-12-22T14:10:56ZengMDPI AGGenealogy2313-57782023-12-01749610.3390/genealogy7040096Family Name Adoption in the Dutch Colonies at the Abolition of Slavery in the Context of National Family Name Legislation: A Reflection on Contemporary Name ChangeLeendert Brouwer0Humanities Cluster, Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences (KNAW), Meertens Instituut, P.O. Box 10855, 1001 EW Amsterdam, The NetherlandsName change can only take place in the Netherlands under strict conditions and according to patronizing regulations. At the moment, an amendment of name law is being drafted that would give descendants of Dutch citizens whose ancestors lived in slavery an exemption. If they have a family name that their ancestors received upon their release, they may change it free of charge. It remains to be seen, however, whether the desire to adopt new names in keeping with a reclaimed African identity can also be granted. After all, that would conflict with the general regulations when creating a new name. The whole issue shows political opportunism. First, it would be useful to get a good picture of name adoption in light of surnaming in general. Is it right to consider the names in question as slave names? Are they really that bad? It is more likely that precisely the exceptional position now obtained leads to undesirable profiling. In fact, the only solution to embarrass no one is a wholesale revision of the name law that does away with outdated 19th century limitations. Why should anyone be unhappy with their name? Why should someone who insists on having a different name be prevented from doing so? This essay examines the announced change in the law against the background of surnaming in general and the acquisition of family names in Suriname and the Netherlands Antilles in particular.https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/7/4/96family namessurnamesonomasticsname lawname changeslavery |
| spellingShingle | Leendert Brouwer Family Name Adoption in the Dutch Colonies at the Abolition of Slavery in the Context of National Family Name Legislation: A Reflection on Contemporary Name Change Genealogy family names surnames onomastics name law name change slavery |
| title | Family Name Adoption in the Dutch Colonies at the Abolition of Slavery in the Context of National Family Name Legislation: A Reflection on Contemporary Name Change |
| title_full | Family Name Adoption in the Dutch Colonies at the Abolition of Slavery in the Context of National Family Name Legislation: A Reflection on Contemporary Name Change |
| title_fullStr | Family Name Adoption in the Dutch Colonies at the Abolition of Slavery in the Context of National Family Name Legislation: A Reflection on Contemporary Name Change |
| title_full_unstemmed | Family Name Adoption in the Dutch Colonies at the Abolition of Slavery in the Context of National Family Name Legislation: A Reflection on Contemporary Name Change |
| title_short | Family Name Adoption in the Dutch Colonies at the Abolition of Slavery in the Context of National Family Name Legislation: A Reflection on Contemporary Name Change |
| title_sort | family name adoption in the dutch colonies at the abolition of slavery in the context of national family name legislation a reflection on contemporary name change |
| topic | family names surnames onomastics name law name change slavery |
| url | https://www.mdpi.com/2313-5778/7/4/96 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT leendertbrouwer familynameadoptioninthedutchcoloniesattheabolitionofslaveryinthecontextofnationalfamilynamelegislationareflectiononcontemporarynamechange |