Home

Pieterszoon

Pieterszoon is a Dutch patronymic name meaning "son of Pieter" (Peter). It is formed from the given name Pieter and the suffix -zoon, a common Dutch element used to indicate lineage. In historical usage, Pieterszoon functioned as a descriptive middle name or a patronymic rather than a fixed family surname.

In the early modern Dutch world, individuals often bore a patronymic that changed with each generation. Over

A notable bearer of the patronymic is Jan Pieterszoon Coen (1577–1629), a Dutch colonial administrator who served

See also: Dutch patronymic naming conventions, the suffix -zoon, and related patronymic surnames derived from Pieter.

time
these
patronymics
could
become
hereditary
surnames,
especially
under
formal
naming
reforms.
In
the
Netherlands,
the
1811
law
requiring
fixed
surnames
contributed
to
the
standardization
of
names,
after
which
Pieterszoon
may
appear
less
as
a
daily
surname
and
more
as
a
historical
or
ceremonial
element.
Variants
and
related
forms
include
Pietersz.,
Pieterszoon,
or
the
shortened
Pieterszoon
as
part
of
a
longer
full
name.
as
governor-general
of
the
Dutch
East
Indies.
His
name
illustrates
the
traditional
practice
of
using
the
father’s
given
name
(Pieter)
in
the
patronymic,
followed
by
a
family
surname
(Coen).
The
form
continues
to
appear
in
historical
records
and
can
be
encountered
in
discussions
of
Dutch
naming
practices
and
early
modern
Dutch
biography.