Like Quill already mentioned, the name Niesje is a diminutive form of
Agnes in the Netherlands. However, in some cases, it can also be a diminutive form of
Dionisia /
Dionysia. Both are names that are in use in the Netherlands, although neither are common (with
Dionysia being the most common out of the two):
-
http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/naam/is/Dionysia
-
http://www.meertens.knaw.nl/nvb/naam/is/Dionisia
In
Dutch, both names are pronounced as: dee-aw-NEE-see-ah.
By the way, would you mind terribly if I ask why you believe that your ancestor was
Dutch instead of Belgian? Not that Belgium and the Netherlands actually existed in their current form back in the 16th century, but still. At the time,
Dutch was widely spoken in what is now Belgium - and it still is today, albeit predominantly in a specific region called Flanders. As a result, the
Dutch spoken there is often referred to as Flemish.
-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flanders
-
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flemish
So, your ancestor having a
Dutch first name doesn't necessarily have to mean that she or her family were originally from any area that is now part of the modern-day Netherlands. :)
This message was edited 9/27/2015, 9:42 PM