Correct spelling of Holand/Holland

Question

I wanted to get a consensus on whether we should change the LNAB on the Holand line in keeping with the spelling in Magna Carta Ancestry.  Douglas Richardson uses Holand (one 'l') while we have it as Holland.

Comments/opinions?

Comments

Coming from the Netherlands (Holland ;) ) , and not knowing much about this family, but Holland for someone coming from a place Upholland so spelled with double 'l' seems more correct ?

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Thanks, Bea.  However, as I noted, Douglas Richardson uses one 'l', and we tend to follow his lead.  I just wanted others to be aware and agree before I set about the task of correcting the LNAB.

Answer 1

This family in this time period is (almost) always spelled with one L.  The LNAB for every one of these associated profiles needs to be fixed.  It wasn't until centuries later that any descendants could be said to use two L's as a standard.  It is also a standard followed by Complete Peerage, Royal Ancestry, and all research articles on the family.

Comments

I agree - If we're using Medlands or Cokayne they both prefer one L, and more specifically to Thurstan, the LNAB should match the source, which spells it with one L.

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Thanks, Joe.  I knew this.  However, I think it's appropriate to bring it up in G2G to get comments before going about the task of correcting the LNAB.  We (EuroAristo) like to follow how Douglas Richardson spells it, but I didn't want to change it until I made people aware of it.

Answer 2

Could we use both? Holand and Holland? Holand in the LNAB and Holland in Other Last name or Other Nicknames. Also, would it be correct to use aka Holland?

Thank you, Darlene, for bring this up, it is hard to fine some of the Pre-1700 people just because of the changes in spelling through the years.

Comments

Holand is so engrained, consistent and established that to spell these families as Holland just seems wrong.  I cringe just seeing it - it just looks wrong.  I imagine that people who are used to seeing the modern country spelled Holland or modern surnames spelled Holland get a similar sense of the name being spelled wrong.  But, if we are trying for any sense of uniformity and of following well-established naming conventions in early medieval profiles then these names should be Holand only.

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I don't mind if you want to use Holland in the OLN field.  That might be what we need to do to avoid a bunch of duplicate profiles being created from people searching for Holland as opposed to Holand.

Definitely don't use 'aka Holland'.

I've changed the LNAB to Holand on the three oldest profiles.  It'll take some time to work down through the children, as I've got other things 'on my plate' at present.  If anyone has the capability and wants to help, let me know.

Answer 3

My surname is Holland and my family has always spelled it with a double L. hope this helps you:

History And Origin

1. Irish: reduced Anglicized form of Gaelic Ó hÓileáin, a variant of Ó hAoláin, from a form of Faolán (with loss of the initial F-), a personal name representing a diminutive of faol ‘wolf'. Compare Whelan.

2. English and Scottish: habitational name from Holland, a division of Lincolnshire, or any of the eight villages in various parts of England so called, from Old English hōh ‘ridge' + land ‘land'. The Scottish name may also be from places called Holland in Orkney, Houlland in Shetland, Hollandbush in Stirlingshire, and Holland-Hirst in the parish of Kirkintilloch.

3. English, German, Jewish (Ashkenazic), Danish, and Dutch: regional name from Holland, a province of the Netherlands.

Dictionary of American Family Names, Oxford University Press, Inc. © 2006 Patrick Hanks

Surname Variants

After centuries of use, surname spellings may have varied drastically over time. This may be the result of an intentional or unintentional change made by your ancestors. It means you should incorporate typical surname variants or misspellings into your ancestor search, to ensure you don’t miss an important piece of the puzzle. Here are some common Holland surname variants:

Soundex: Haaland, Hailand, Hailend, Hailu Mitiku, Halamitschek, Halamoutis, Halamuda, Haland, Halanda

Metaphone: Haaland, Hailand, Hailend, Haland, Halanda, Halandae, Halander, Halandras, Hale Andrews

 

Comments

Thanks for the note, we're talking about a specific noble family who owned a manor in Upholland, Lincolnshire and Thurstan's descendant Robert became 1st Baron Holand. According to BHO the second L was added in the 16th century.