Show ContentsDegroff History, Family Crest & Coats of Arms

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  • Netherlands
Degroff Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Family Crest Download (JPG) Heritage Series - 600 DPI

Etymology of Degroff

What does the name Degroff mean?

The Dutch surname Degroff was a nickname for a "big or tall man," or for someone who came from Groot (large place in Holland). The name was originally derived from the Old French word Grosjean or Le Grand.

Alternatively the name could be a tribute to the emperor Charlemagne (748-814) , King of the Franks from 768, King of the Lombards from 774, and Emperor of what is now known as the Carolingian Empire from 800. The name in Dutch is "Karel de Groot."

Early Origins of the Degroff family

The surname Degroff was first found in the Netherlands where the frequent prefix "de" as in "de Groot" denoted "of" as in "of the Groot," typically denoting a local name, but in this case was a frequent nickname.

A notable member of the name was Geert de Groote (1340-1384) the Dutch religious reformer. Under the influence of the Flemish mystic Johannes Ruysroek he entered a Carthusian monastery in 1375. About 1376 he founded at Deventer the 'Brethren of Common Life' and the houses of Augustinian canons.

The Degroff family was distributed all over the Dutch Republic, although De Groots are most frequently found in the north and west. Early documents, dating from the mid-16th century, listed members of the Degroff family in the city of Delft, just south of Amsterdam.

Early History of the Degroff family

This web page shows only a small excerpt of our Degroff research. Another 88 words (6 lines of text) covering the years 1554, 1583, 1597, 1615, 1640, 1645, 1662 and 1678 are included under the topic Early Degroff History in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Early Notables of the Degroff family

More information is included under the topic Early Degroff Notables in all our PDF Extended History products and printed products wherever possible.

Contemporary Notables of the name Degroff (post 1700)+

  • Dale DeGroff (b. 1948), American bartender and author, nicknamed the King of Cocktails or King Cocktail
  • John W. DeGroff (1843-1895), American politician, Member of the Wisconsin State Assembly and the Wisconsin State Senate
  • Edward de Groff (1860-1910), American photographer who contributed to the historical record of Sitka, Alaska
  • Edward Arthur "Rube" DeGroff (1879-1955), American Major League Baseball outfielder who played for the St. Louis Cardinals from 1905 to 1906
  • John DeGroff, American Christian musician, one of the original members of Christian rock band Petra
  • Rick E. DeGroff, American Republican politician, Candidate for West Virginia State House of Delegates 31st District, 1984 1
  1. The Political Graveyard: Alphabetical Name Index. (Retrieved 2015, November 11) . Retrieved from http://politicalgraveyard.com/alpha/index.html

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