Struss - Name

Most early Dutch and German surnames, like English, are topographical or locational, this is different. It derives from the Middle High German 'Struz', and was originally a nickname for 'a warrior or soldier'. A second alternative is a development from 'struze' - a word for an ostrich, or specifically the ostrich feathers, as shown in the heraldic crest of the Prince of Wales. It is not clear what the precise meaning was in the Middle Ages, but it was probably an association with the magnificent plumage of the ostrich feather. There is a third possibility that the surname could be residential and describe one who lives at or by an inn called 'The Ostrich' or more likely 'The Feathers'. The different forms of the surname include the German-Austrian Strauss, Struss and Straus, plus the Flemish-Dutch (Van der) Struis, Struijs, 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.