Hello, In Germanic names the final -s is short for "son", i.e denoted a patronymical relationship. In North Germanic languages the full word "son" was added to the name (e.g. Persson, Jensen), while in most names in the West Germanic languages (German, Dutch) this "son" got shortend to "s" (e.g. Peters, Hofmans). English has both (e.g. Peterson, Williams). In Dutch the change from -zoon to -sz and -s happen comparatively recently (~ 350-300 years ago). Btw. - it would be interesting to know how patronymical names ended in East Germanic names (namely Gothic). Unfortunately the last of the Goths died in the early 1600s on the Crimean Penninsula, so this may be difficult to establish. Regards, Ingolf Vogel