Germans in London

[KGarrad]

"Dickens is an English surname originating from the name Dick, the diminutive of Richard, stemmed with the patronymic termination ens, meaning belonging to, or the son of. "

Can't find any link to a Dutch name?

[Siely]

"Dickens is an English surname originating from the name Dick, the diminutive of Richard, stemmed with the patronymic termination ens, meaning belonging to, or the son of. "

Can't find any link to a Dutch name?

Wouldn't a diminutive take the form Richards or Richardson ? The frequency of Dickens is low and what exactly is his fascination with those 3/4 syllable surnames ? What point is he trying to make by using them ?

PS His first name Charles is Karel in Dutch. Hence the choice Christmas Carol ?

[sugarbakers]

There is no reference to Dickens in Hans Bahlow’s ‘German Names !

[KGarrad]

"Dickens is an English surname originating from the name Dick, the diminutive of Richard, stemmed with the patronymic termination ens, meaning belonging to, or the son of. "

Can't find any link to a Dutch name?

Wouldn't a diminutive take the form Richards or Richardson ? The frequency of Dickens is low and what exactly is his fascination with those 3/4 syllable surnames ? What point is he trying to make by using them ?

PS His first name Charles is Karel in Dutch. Hence the choice Christmas Carol ?

Karel is a gender-neutral name of German origin. It derives from the Old German name Karl, meaning “free man.”

Can't find any link to Christmas carols!

[MollyC]

It derives from the Old German name Karl, meaning “free man.”

Hence the origin of the pre-Norman place-name in England "Carlton".

[DianaCanada]

"Dickens is an English surname originating from the name Dick, the diminutive of Richard, stemmed with the patronymic termination ens, meaning belonging to, or the son of. "

Can't find any link to a Dutch name?

Wouldn't a diminutive take the form Richards or Richardson ? The frequency of Dickens is low and what exactly is his fascination with those 3/4 syllable surnames ? What point is he trying to make by using them ?

PS His first name Charles is Karel in Dutch. Hence the choice Christmas Carol ?

A diminutive is a shortened or pet form of a name…you are confusing it with a patronymic which denotes “son of”, such as Richards or Richardson.  In southern England just an added “s” was more commonly used than “son” added, which was more prevalent in the north. 
Apparently the English have always had trouble with their r’s”, the original Germanic sound was much harsher and sounded at the back of the throat - leading to Dick for Richard (also centuries ago most likely pronounced as Rick-hard), Dob for Robert, and Dodge for Roger.
I have the surname Hollands in my tree, and it is a patronymic for Roland.  Considering the many surnames that have come Roland (Holland, Rawlings, Rawlinson, Rolls, etc) the given name must have been quite popular when surnames were forming.

[CaroleW]

What is the actual purpose of this post?  Siely has been asked twice whether it is connected to his FH but has not replied

[coombs]

What is the actual purpose of this post?  Siely has been asked twice whether it is connected to his FH but has not replied

This topic seems more suitable for The Lighter Side, as it is not an individual query, we supposedly not as Siely has not said if he/she has German roots and/or is researching a particular German family.

[Siely]

The number of Germans in London I came across was a surprise to me, that's all.