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Research Center

Researching Dutch Documents

There are many exciting challenges when researching your family history in Dutch documents. At Ancestry.com, key data such as names and gender is often indexed and therefore easily accessible through our search pages for each Dutch language database. However, the records are in Dutch and you will naturally get the best results if you search keywords, occupations, and place names in Dutch. There is often a wealth of information available in the images of the original documents that can help you pinpoint your ancestors or learn about their lives and families. We have provided some basic tools on these pages that can help you as you work in Dutch records.

Dutch Wordlists

These glossaries contain words that you are likely to find in Dutch genealogical records. Records in Dutch often include Latin words as well.
Dutch Terms & Abbreviations
Latin
Occupations

When reading Dutch records, it can be helpful to refer to a list of common Dutch names.
Dutch First Names
Last Name Meanings

Additional Help

Ancestry offers the Dutch researcher many sources of help. Search the Ancestry Learning Center for articles, post a query on the Netherlands Community pages, or find related articles in the Ancestry Wiki.
Learning Center
Community
Ancestry.com Wiki

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Topics

Dutch
  - Dutch Terms
  - Occupations
  - Dutch Given Names
  - more...
French
  - French to English Wordlist
  - English to French Wordlist
  - Departmental Archives
  - more...
Glossaries
  - Genealogy Terms (English)
  - Latin
German
  - German to English Wordlist
  - English to German Wordlist
  - Occupations
  - Family Terms
  - Old Alphabet Examples
  - Germany Map in 1912
  - German Given Names
  - German Surnames
  - Ask the Community
  - more...
Italian
  - Italian to English Wordlist
  - English to Italian Wordlist
  - Occupations
  - Family Terms
  - State Archives
  - more...
Spanish
  - Hispanic Family History Records
  - Spanish Terms
  - more...
Swedish
  - Researching Swedish Ancestry
  - Swedish Terms
  - Occupations
  - Swedish Given Names
  - Swedish Surnames
  - more...

More Research Help

Ancestry offers the researcher many sources of help. Search the Ancestry Learning Center for articles, post a query on the Community pages, or find Research publications in the Ancestry Store.
- Learning Center
- Community
- Ancestry.com Wiki

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