Dutch name lived, by the suffix -ma or -stra ( of Frisian), or -ing or -ink (of Low Saxon origin). Examples: Dijkstra (after a dyke near the place they came from); Halbertsma ( after an ancestor called Halbert); Wiebing ( after an ancestor called Wiebe); Hesselink ( after an ancestor called Hessel). After 1811, many patronymics became permanent surnames such that Peeters, Jansen, Willems are common surnames today. The most common Dutch surnames in the Netherlands (as of 1947) and Flanders in Belgium are listed to the right. Meertens' Dutch surname database lists 94143 different family names; the total Dutch speaking population
Greater Region of Luxembourg Greater Region of Luxembourg The Greater Region of Luxembourg, or simply Greater Region, is a geopolitical region within Europe, created to promote economic, cultural, touristic and social development and cooperation. It occupies an area of with Luxembourg at its center and including adjacent regions of Belgium, Germany and France. The Greater Region of Luxembourg is composed of the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, Wallonia, Saarland, Lorraine, Rhineland-Palatinate and the German-speaking community of Belgium, covering a total area of and spreading more than from east to west and more than from north to south. Northern Wallonia and the Rhine valley are parts