Struys

This famous surname derives from the Middle High German 'Struz' It has three possible origins. The first is locational from a place called Strus or Straus, the second is residential from living by an inn called "The Ostrich" (struze), whilst the third is also a nickname for a snappy dresser, one who habitually wore ostrich feathers. The different spelling forms of the surname include the German-Austrian Strauss, Struss and Straus, the Flemish-Dutch Van der Struis, Struis, Struijs, and Struys, and the Swedish Strutz. Examples of the surname recording include Cornelia Struijs who married Jan Spriet at Dordrecht, Nederlands, on September 1st 1630, and Johannes Pieter Struys, a witness at Rotterdam, Nederlands, on February 24th 1784. Curiously the coat of arms, granted in Holland has a silver cygnet on a sea of blue and gold. The first recorded spelling of the family name is shown to be that of Cornelius Struijs, which was dated July 1st 1607, married at Dordrecht, to Linkjen Geeritse, during the reign of Prince Maurice of Nassau, Stadtholder, 1584 - 1625. 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.