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ArchivesNiek (Dutch)
My Christian name in full is Dominicus, but all my life I've been called Niek. Apparently Niek is not only short for Nicolas.
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Fellow Dutchie here! You are correct, even though the Meertens Institute (a reputable Dutch source) makes no mention of this:
https://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/verklaring/naam/Niek (in Dutch)
In my personal opinion, Niek ("NEEK") as a short form of Dominicus was mainly inspired by the French name Dominique, which tends to be pronounced as do-mee-NEEK in Dutch. This French name began to rise in popularity during the midst of the 1980s, eventually reaching its peak in 1992:
https://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/naam/is/Dominique (in Dutch)
It has to be due to that in most cases (especially for millennials), because the Dutch pronunciation of Dominicus doesn't lend itself all that well for Niek as a short form. It would have been if the name were pronounced as do-mee-NEE-kus in Dutch, but it is not. As a result, Niek as a short form of Dominicus is rare.
With that said: for those who wish to see evidence that Niek can be used as a short form of Dominicus and Dominique, here are three obituaries:
• Dominicus "Niek" Bosma (1933-2018): https://mensenlinq.nl/overlijdensberichten/dominicus-anne-niek-bosma-8014566/ (in Dutch)
• Dominicus "Niek" Hoffius (1935-2013): https://mensenlinq.nl/overlijdensberichten/dominicus-izaak-niek-hoffius-4894671/ (in Dutch)
• Dominique "Niek" Claessens (1939-2011): https://mensenlinq.nl/overlijdensberichten/dominique-germain-niek-claessens-3819197/ (in Dutch)
https://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/verklaring/naam/Niek (in Dutch)
In my personal opinion, Niek ("NEEK") as a short form of Dominicus was mainly inspired by the French name Dominique, which tends to be pronounced as do-mee-NEEK in Dutch. This French name began to rise in popularity during the midst of the 1980s, eventually reaching its peak in 1992:
https://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/naam/is/Dominique (in Dutch)
It has to be due to that in most cases (especially for millennials), because the Dutch pronunciation of Dominicus doesn't lend itself all that well for Niek as a short form. It would have been if the name were pronounced as do-mee-NEE-kus in Dutch, but it is not. As a result, Niek as a short form of Dominicus is rare.
With that said: for those who wish to see evidence that Niek can be used as a short form of Dominicus and Dominique, here are three obituaries:
• Dominicus "Niek" Bosma (1933-2018): https://mensenlinq.nl/overlijdensberichten/dominicus-anne-niek-bosma-8014566/ (in Dutch)
• Dominicus "Niek" Hoffius (1935-2013): https://mensenlinq.nl/overlijdensberichten/dominicus-izaak-niek-hoffius-4894671/ (in Dutch)
• Dominique "Niek" Claessens (1939-2011): https://mensenlinq.nl/overlijdensberichten/dominique-germain-niek-claessens-3819197/ (in Dutch)
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