Translating a Dutch name to English

[aghadowey]

And Brileslijper translates as glasses grinder/sharpener.

Perhaps (originally) a maker of lenses (specs) ?

Or perhaps the surname originates from a family connection to diamond cutting?
https://www.oorlogsbronnen.nl/tijdlijn/11217613-952c-42ba-9de4-2f4ebb67b366

[kerryb]

And Brileslijper translates as glasses grinder/sharpener.

Perhaps (originally) a maker of lenses (specs) ?

Or perhaps the surname originates from a family connection to diamond cutting?
https://www.oorlogsbronnen.nl/tijdlijn/11217613-952c-42ba-9de4-2f4ebb67b366

Ooh thank you, that's a rabbit hole I'd like to go down!  I don't know how common the name Brilleslijper is but that could be a distant cousin.  Simon Brilleslijper, father of the one I am looking at (Clara) left Holland for London in the late 1860s.  He was born in Amsterdam though.

Kerry

[aghadowey]

I'm not sure how common the surname is but I did find various other references to diamond cutters named Brileslijper (Yad Vashem, etc.).
Two Brileslijper sisters became quite famous through their connection with the diarist Anne Frank- google "Brileslijper sisters" to learn more.

[Bookbox]

I researched a Brilleslijper family from Amsterdam/London about 12 years ago, though not this particular family. You might find Akevoth a useful resource, if you're not already aware of it ...
https://www.dutchjewry.org/

[PatLac]

Hi! I would like to borrow your expertise on this matter.

What would be the original surname of someone probably born in the Netherlands or Belgium or Switzerland or France around 1740-50 'translated' as Rinsby?

This is a rare surname and I'm trying to find out a bit more about a person mentioned in another thread, Charles Ferdinand Rinsby.

He (allegedly) was a captain in the Dutch States Navy (Staatse vloot), married to (Eugenie) Caroline nee Ravanel and died before 1787.

Eugenie Caroline Theodora(e) was the name in her will dated 1801 in Langton, North Yorkshire, died 1806-7 in Richmond, Surrey, but she was born Caroline Frederique and known as Caroline(a) Victoire in a document from 1786 (her aunt's deed) and Mme Rinsby from a letter of 1791 (from John Paul Jones, Scotch naval officer). She belonged to a family of Swiss governesses who worked in Pfalz-Zweibrücken, Hessen-Darmstadt, Hessen-Homburg and Baden.

I had this crazy idea that she changed her middle name to Victoire to pay homage to her dead husband who could have fougth and perhaps died during the 4th Anglo-Dutch war, and/or because she lived with two Dutch women, novelist Betje Wolff and Agatha (Aagje) Deken. "Because of their patriotic sympathies they moved to Trévoux in Burgundy in 1788" (...) "Wolff was exposed to some of the dangers of the French Revolution, and, it is said, escaped the guillotine only by her great presence of mind", according to Wikipedia.

A Mme Rinsby is mentioned in the Marquis de Bombelles Journal. T. V, 1795-1800, partially available on Google Books, who seems to have been one of Marie Antoinette's lady companions before her tragic demise. If she was related to Charles Ferdinand Rinsby or if she was Eugenie herself I have no idea yet! John Paul Jones, who was introduced to Marie Antoinette and her lady companions, wrote a letter to Wolff and Deken and Mme Rinsby in 1791.

I wonder if Rinsby could have been an anglicised form or whatever other translation of a different surname, given that these seem to be the only available sources that mention this surname.

More information here

https://neerlandistiek.nl/2025/06/vriendschap-met-onafhankelijksstrijder-john-paul-jones/

This is the original thread

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=892638.0

I hope the OPs don't mind!

[aghadowey]

Rensby is a Norwegian name but in America it sometimes became Rinsby. Another Norwegian version- Reensbye.
It might also stem from the name of a place.

[PatLac]

Thanks aghadowey. I've cheched both including Rinsbÿ and Reinsbey from Norway and Denmark. Only a couple on FamilySearch and Ancestry (no subscription). The others are transcription errors.

Do you know if Rijnsbergen, Rijnsburg or derivatives could have been 'translated' into Rinsby? Bear in mind that the lady in question spoke French (her family was from Morges, Vaud, Switzerland and her will was written in French), so it could be something totally different!

This one looks like Rinsby, but I have no access to the record image at the moment.

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:6NQL-DDSG?lang=en

[kerryb]

I'm not sure how common the surname is but I did find various other references to diamond cutters named Brileslijper (Yad Vashem, etc.).
Two Brileslijper sisters became quite famous through their connection with the diarist Anne Frank- google "Brileslijper sisters" to learn more.

Ooh that sounds interesting, thank you for the suggestion.

Kerry

[kerryb]

I researched a Brilleslijper family from Amsterdam/London about 12 years ago, though not this particular family. You might find Akevoth a useful resource, if you're not already aware of it ...
https://www.dutchjewry.org/

Thank you for the link, very interesting.

Kerry