I am interested if anyone can give any information on the Dutch surnames of van Coevorden and van Coeverden. The difference between the two versions is whether the letter after the "v" is an "o" or an "e".
On Geni at the moment, through simple search:
- There are 573 people who match a search for van CoevOrden
- There are 58 people who match a search for van CoevErden
Even within the same family there are people recorded with both variations of the surname. See for example
http://stenenarchief.nl/genealogie/gezin/humo1_nort/F3813/I42274
where siblings are listed with both variations.
Is there a reason why some have the O while others have the E? Does it represent some deliberate difference? Did some people deliberately choose a different surname to distinguish themselves from others?
Or is one just a typo - either in originally recording the birth name or just in entering online? Is one "right" and one "wrong"?
There is a city called Coevorden - see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coevorden
So van Coevorden would mean from Coevorden. Interestingly, to add to the confusion, there is no van Coevorden wikipedia page, but there is a van Coeverden wikipedia page http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Coeverden which says:
Van Coevorden is one of the oldest aristocratic families from the Netherlands. The family's history begins with Hendrik van Borculo who in 1231 married Eufemia, a daughter of the lord of Coevorden. The grandson of this couple, Reinolt, started to call himself van Coeverden. From this time onwards till the 17th century, the family played an important role in the region of Drenthe. His descendants still carry this name and belong to the Dutch nobility. Some branches were granted the title of baron; others are Jonkheer.
So there is a mix of the E and O even on that Wikipedia page.
Any informed input will be appreciated!
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