Meanings
plural tussenvoegsels
- A part of a person’s name (usually of Dutch origin) that comes between the first name and the last name.
In the interest of simplicity, all prefixes in surnames, including “van/van der/de”, common tussenvoegsels in Dutch, will be dropped in repeated references (e. g., Linschoten not Van Linschoten, Diemen not Van Diemen).
2023, Paul Kua, “Notes”, in Europe Meets Formosa, 1510-1662: Two Historical Studies, London: Propius Press, published 2024, →ISBN, note 5, page 82 more examples
A tussenvoegsel, in Dutch linguistics, is a word that is positioned between someone's given name and surname, but is still a part of someone's last name. In the Netherlands, the tussenvoegsels strictly speaking are not a part of someone's last name. For example, someone whose family name is "De Vries" isn't found at the letter "D" in the telephone directory but at "V". Tussenvoegsels are therefore also required to be listed separately in databases; […] In the Netherlands, the tussenvoegsel is written with a capital letter if no name precedes it.
[2006?], Marc Kuklinski, editor, compiled by Joanne Myrechuck Kuklinski, Monument: Family Histories of Myrechuck, Wanichek, Pitsch, Coenen, Beaver Dam, Wis.: Marc & Joanne Kuklinski, →OCLC, page 417Names can be different across cultures. For example, Dutch names have a specific spelling convention in which the tussenvoegsel (affix before the main part of the last name) is not capitalized between the first and last name, such as the van in Vincent van Gogh [3].
2024, Christina Van Hal, Jennifer L. Mills, Mary Gatmaitan, Yang Gong, “A Patient-Centered Approach to Collecting and Displaying Patient Identifiers”, in Jen Bichel-Findlay, Paula Otero, Philip Scott, Elaine Huesing, editors, MEDINFO 2023 — The Future Is Accessible: Proceedings of the 19th World Congress on Medical and Health Informatics, Amsterdam: IOS Press, →DOI, →ISBN, track 2 (Quality, Safety and Outcomes), theme 1 (Evaluation), topic 2 (Health Quality and Patient Safety), page 370
Origin
- Dutchtussenvoegsel
- Englishtussenvoegsel
From Dutch tussenvoegsel.
More words from Dutch
Full word history & related roots →Cite this entry
tussenvoegsel. (n.d.). In WatkinsX Dictionary. Retrieved November 4, 2026, from https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tussenvoegsel
“tussenvoegsel.” WatkinsX Dictionary, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tussenvoegsel. Accessed November 4, 2026.
WatkinsX Dictionary, s.v. “tussenvoegsel,” accessed November 4, 2026, https://dictionary.watkinsx.com/word/tussenvoegsel.
Source: tussenvoegsel on Wiktionary, CC BY-SA 4.0.