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Yes, I guess in most of Europe the 200-250 years between Rembrandt and van Gogh is exactly when family names solidified from a simple description "the one from
by throw_pm23 2y ago
Yes, I guess in most of Europe the 200-250 years between Rembrandt and van Gogh is exactly when family names solidified from a simple description "the one from village X" or "son of Y" or "the one with a red hair" to become a hereditary name essentially detached from its meaning.
- seszett 2y agoAlso, van Gogh's popularity came from France, the work he did in France, and in France by this time family names had been standard there for a long time already (since around the 16th century), much earlier than in the Netherlands.
- saalweachter 2y agoSpecifically, in 1811 Napoleon made surnames mandatory for the Dutch. A number of Dutch, displeased with Napoleon and thinking the surname thing wouldn't last, took... unfortunate surnames.