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FAQ (English)

 

Why is this website in Dutch?

 
Most of the members of the Laukens family live in the Flemish speaking part of Belgium. The name exists also in the Netherlands. Therefore, the website is made in Dutch (Dutch and Flemish are the same languages). However, if you would like to obtain more English information about the content of our website, just ask us!
 

Will there be an English version?

 
It is not yet the intention to make an English version, but we realize that language can be a problem. That is the reason why we made these FAQ’s in English. The rest of the website remains in Dutch. However, if there is a lot of interest from abroad, you never know…
 

Where does the name Laukens come from?

 
The surname Laukens is a patronymic, derived from the name Laurentius, a very popular saint in the Middle Ages. In everyday language, the name Laurentius was shortened to “Lau” or the diminutive “Lauke”. On a certain moment in the 15th century, a person called Herman, who was the son of Lauke, was called Herman Laukens and gave birth to our family name. This happened in Achel, a small village in the north of Belgium, not far from the Dutch border. In an old document, that goes back to 1470, we found the first reference of Herman Laukens. We have reason to believe that he was born in the twenties or thirties of the 15th century. Click here if you want to see the document with the first reference. The name Herman Laukens is a.o. in the middle of the fourth line.
 

My surname is Laukens, are we family?

 
As we said, the name Laukens is a patronymic, it is therefore possible (and probable) that the name emerged independently in different places.  However, if your ancestors came from Belgium or the Netherlands, there is a good possibility that we are family indeed! So: let us know your pedigree, and maybe we can help you to find your roots!
 

What about Laukens in Australia?

 
We know that, in the middle of the twentieth century, people with the name Laukens emigrated to Australia. Some of them are directly related to our ancestors in Achel. If you are a namesake in Australia, there is a very good chance that we share the same ancestors! Just let us know, we will look it up for you!

Does the name exists in other countries too?

 
Today, we have a fairly good overview of the Laukens family in Belgium, and partly in Holland. We know also that there are namesakes in Germany, but we don’t know much about other countries. Maybe you can help us by giving us an overview of the distribution of our family name in your country!
 

Can I contribute to the family history?

 
Of course, we would welcome it! If your family is related to ours, or if there is a chance that there is a link, we would love to put the story of your family on our website. Language (English, French or German) is no problem: If your contribution is accepted, we will publish it together with a Dutch translation.