O. William Bruins's Page

I wonder how Bruins is pronounced in America. The present-day standard-Dutch pronunciation is very difficult to describe in English terms. If you have ever heard a Dutchman pronounce the name of Johan Cruijff (famous soccer-player), then you know.

In the 17th century in Overijssel ui, and also uy, uij and ue, was pronounced like long German ü or long French u; oe and ou (and probably also u in Brunss) were pronounced like English oo.

I have heard that in the US several sports-clubs are called Bruins ('brown bears'), and that this name is pronounced broo-ins. Does this apply to our name too?

Our common ancestry is briefly as follows:

Gerrit Bruins (carpenter, b. IJsselmuiden, province of Overijssel, Netherlands,1851) and Willem Bruins (haulier, b. IJsselmuiden, 1853) were sons of Harm Jan Bruins and Gerrigje van der Weg, who were married in 1850. (Harm Jan had been married before to Gerrigje van Zomeren, who died in 1847.)

Harm Jan Bruins, shoemaker in Mastenbroek, IJsselmuiden, b. Dalfsen, Overijssel, 1808, d. 1873, was a son of Dirk Bruins and Evertdina Elbertdina Jansen Bremmer, who were married in 1794.

Dirk (also Derk) Bruins (also Brunink), small farmer, shopkeeper, day-labourer, b. Dalfsen, 1763, d. 1838, was a son of Hendrik Bruins and Geertje Gerrits, who were married in 1761.

Hendrik Bruins (also Broens, Derks), small farmer and day-labourer, b. Dalfsen, 1731, d. 1782, was a son of Derk Bruins and Janna Roelofs, who were married before 1724.

Derk (also Dirck) Bruins (also Broens, Hendriks), small farmer and day-labourer, b. Dalfsen, 1680, d. between 1735 and 1740, was a son of Hendrick Bruins and Hendrickijn Willemsen, who were married in 1679.

Hendrick (also Henrick) Bruins (also Bruyns, Bruens, Brouns, Dircksen), tenant-farmer at farm Groot Reckelaer, Dalfsen, b. about 1642, d. between 1704 and 1720, was a son of Derck Bruins and n.n.

Derck (also Derrick) Bruins (also Bruyns, Bruens, Bruns, Berentsen), tenant-farmer at Groot Reckelaer, first record 1645, died in 1672, was a son of Berent Bruins

Berent (also Berrent, Bernt) Bruins (also Brunss, Bruens, Broens), was tenant-farmer at Groot Reckelaer in 1601; he died shortly before 1624.

It was quite uncommon, that a farmers-family had a fixed surname already in the 17th century. Mostly farmers were named after the farm they lived on, so that they received another 'surname' when they moved to another farm. Or they had no surname at all but were simply refered to as son of their father (e.g. Hendrik Derks). The members of our family kept calling themselves Bruins wherever they went!