| 1.
What is the origin of the Gryzenhout name?
This
is something we can only speculate about.
The
name Grijsenhout is first found in the year 1721 in the cityarchives of
Schiedam, NLD, when Hendrik Grijsenhout a young man of Munsterland, Germany,
is getting married with Aegje Willems.
Only
in 1811, when Napoleon arrives, the use of a permanent surname is made
obligatory.
The
Grijzenhout family used their name well before this date, so the name must
have had a certain meaning.
-
With "hout" meaning "wood", in Dutch publications with surnames we find,
that the name has its origin in the Dutch forestry, but knowing the German
back-ground, this is not very likely.
-
When we look for German surnames, preferably in the Munster region, that
look and sound like Grijzenhout, the name "Grieseholt" attracts attention.
This name appears in the area between Dortmund and Munster.
The
ending "holt" is often used in this region for "holtz" which means wood.
The
word "griese" originates from "kriese" or "kirsche" which means cherry.
Translated
our surname would be "Cherrywood".
-
If one would prefer to proceed from the German pronunciation of the name
Grijzenhout, we could end up in the German tannery. The term "greisenhaut"
is then used for an old, slackened skin.
Translated
we would have the less attractive surname of "Oldskin".
-
A less serious option is the following story:
The
brothers came to the registration service where they were asked: "Wie is
uw vader / Who is your father?". The men who just spoke faulty Dutch misunderstood
this as: "How is your father?" (the Dutch word "wie"=who means how in German)
on which they replied: "Grijs en oud / Grey and old."
|
