Nys is the nickname for Denys (Dennis). The first Denys Hegeman was one of the 7 sons of the immigrants -- Adriaen Hegeman and Katherine Margits. The name was used in the Hegeman family in following generations. Adriaen (the immigrant) had a brother Denys who was a grocer in the Netherlands. Dorothy On Tue, 1 Jun 1999, C. Higgins wrote: > Greetings, All: > > I wonder if anyone out there knows if the Dutch name "Nys" is a nickname > (possibly male), the way, for example, Neeltje is the nickname for Cornelia, > is perhaps Nys the nick name for Cornelius? If so, I can look for the > godfather of one of my ancestor's children, recorded as being "Nys Hegeman" > and really look for him as "Cornelius Hegeman". Yes, I am digging up the > bones, here... > > > Cheers > > >