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De Boeck / De Bock

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The surname Deboeck, Soundex Code D120, sometimes spelled de Boeck, is widespread in Flanders, as well as other parts of Belgium. It can be found in documents going back to the 12th century namely in Puurs in 1157 "Arnoldus Hircus et filius Boidinus en Gozuinus Hircus" (Cartularium of Grimbergen, hs Hoevenaers #7); in 1162 "Arnoldus Boc and avunculus suus Arcturus de Puderce" (same #9); in 1262 "Arnoldus Rufus Hyrcus, Arnoldus Boc, Gosuin Boc (same #10); and in Grimbergen in 1280 "Henricus Bouc villicus de Grimbergis"; in 1286 "Henricus dictus Boch" (same #230, 252).

In Belgium the surname DEBOECK/ de Boeck / de Bock can be traced back in various communities: Grimbergen, Vilvoorde, Halle and many others.

My own ancestors came from St Amands at the Schelde. Mattheus de Bock (who may have been the son of Hubert de Bock) was born ca 1580 in Sint Amands (Province of Antwerp) His son Amandus moved to Lippelo in Brabant,married three times and had more than 20 children. The family then moved to Malderen and from there to Londerzeel. Amandus also changed the name from "de Bock" to "de Boeck". In 1705 Joannes (Jan) de Boeck, the fourth generation descendant, became a "meisenier". He was a brewer in Londerzeel. His son Franciscus de Boeck, born in Londerzeel in 1700, died in Grimbergen in 1775. A great great grandson of Franciscus, namely Everad was born in Vilvoorde. My ancestors moved from rural Grimbergen to the industrial town of Vilvoorde. In Vilvoorde a son of Everard, Guillaume Deboeck, my grantfather, first worked for Legrand Lace, left and started up his won a lace factory. My father Rene Cornellius Deboeck ran this factory until 1973 under the name Deboeck Gebroeders (Brothers) PVBA together with his brother, Jos, and his sister, Josephine. In 1969 I moved to the States to study. After 3 years we moved back to Europe but then in 1976 moved permanently to the USA where we made "our home" in Arlington, Virginia.

Outside Belgium the surname also is common in the Netherlands, France, Germany, the United States, Canada and some other countries in the world.

The spelling of the name has changed over time and by geographic region. This most common variants of this surname are De Boeck, de Boucq, De Bouck, De bocq, de Bock, de Boec, de Boucq, de Bouck, De Boucque, Bocx, Boecx, De Bouche etc.

Some authors claimed that the origin of this surname comes 'de Bock' or 'de Buck' which in flemish means a mature male deer ; others have argued that de name comes from a particular tree. Their argument is that the first de Boeck's may have had responsbility for the Halderbosch, a would near Halle close to Brussels. This wood is populated with beechtrees.