This old Dutch name of many variant spellings is topographical and describes one who originally lived by an area of Thorn (Doorn) Bushes (Bos). This type of name is common in England i.e. Thornhill, but less so in Flanders/Netherlands, although in this case the town of Doorn in the province of Utrecht may also have a bearing on the origin. The relative popularity of the name can also be gauged by the number of different spellings, which in this case includes Dorenbosch, Dorenbos, Doornebos and Doorenbos, the latter being the usual spelling form. Early recordings from the area of Flanders-Netherlands are often erratic or non existent as the whole region was under war conditions from the 14th to the 18th Centuries. Recording examples include William Doornbos, a witness at the christening of his daughter Geertrut at Bodegraven, Zuid, Holland, on April 24th 1792, and Gerhardus Doornbos who married Aalje Verberne at Nieuwer Amster, Noord Holland on October 21st 1863. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Aart Teunisz Doornebosch, which was dated March 6th 1707, married Elsje Jans de Kock, at Oudshoorn, Zuid Holland, The Netherlands, during the reign of The Administration of Heinsius (no Stadtholder appointed), from 1702-1747. Surnames became necessary when governments introduced personal taxation. In England this was known as Poll Tax. Throughout the centuries, surnames in every country have continued to "develop" often leading to astonishing variants of the original spelling.

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