Feature Article 

DEBOO in North America

Foreword. I've always been curious about the origin of my surname, its history, its present distribution, its meaning. Last year, I thought some more about such questions, and decided to have a look through my records. Also, I systematically searched through Internet telephone directories to try to determine distribution within Canada and the USA at this time. It was an interesting and productive, if incomplete, exercise.

The results were published in the journal of the excellent Genealogical Society Of Flemish Americans (see Flemish-American Heritage Vol. XXI, No. 1 2003, pp. 15-16). The summary below is based on this article; it is presented here for general information of readers of our Gazette, and to stimulate the search for - and sharing of - knowledge everywhere.

Background. The surname DEBOO is a variant of de bode, Dutch for an occupation - the messenger or beadle. The earliest known form of the name variant of interest is de Bo. Records show it was known at Antwerp (Belgium) and at Brielle (Netherlands) in the late 15th Century. The first reference for occurrence in England is in 1535 for an immigrant Flemish weaver.

Origin of the name is likely in Flanders (Northwestern Belgium) where it is still most concentrated in the rich farming country along the Leie River between Kortrijk and Gent. Migration from this area, known historically as the Southern (Spanish) Netherlands, was likely due to economic hardship and religious persecution. Emigration to the Protestant north (eg, Dutch provinces of Zeeland and Holland), to northwestern Germany, and to eastern England peaked during the first half of the 17th Century. Many DEBOO immigrants of that time were farmers, sailors and tradesmen.

While migration of European ancestors or namesakes occurred before the beginning of the Reformation Period, it continues to the present. Subsequent to migrations within Europe, immigration spread to North America and Australia, particularly during the 19th C. Canadian and American ancestors came directly from Belgium, Britain or the Netherlands. They spoke Flemish (a Dutch dialect), English or Dutch, respectively.

Most recently (eg, since World War II), Deboo individuals from India - unrelated to the European lines - have moved to Canada and the United States. The history of Deboo in India is unknown at this time. However, the name seems to belong within the Parsi/Zoroastrian community centered near Bombay. Their emigration from Persia (Iran) is a story about one thousand years old. Today, then, both lines - European and Indian - mix and intertwine across the continent north of Mexico. I'm not sure if - or where - individuals of these very different backgrounds might have met. To date, I too have not had this pleasure.

Early Immigrants. There are several authentic variants of the name. One of these, de Boog (later De Bow), was known at New Amsterdam (=New York) in 1649. Both De Bow and DeBoo names are known in New Brunswick history. The Canadian De Bow line apparently has American roots, crossing into Canada in 1783.

A military muster roll for 1780 shows James Deboo as a member of a New Jersey regiment. Census and other records suggest a minor 'surge' of DEBOO immigrants to North American (and to Australia) from the 1850s to the 1890s.

Situation Today. The DEBOO form of the name has erratic but wide distribution across North America (excluding Mexico) today. A search through the www.whitepages.com website (August 2002) provided the following summary:

Canada & USA

Province/State Number of DEBOO Listings

Clearly, distribution of DEBOO in Canada and the USA is irregular. Clumping is rare, with only a few locations having more than a few listings - in southern Ontario, near Chicago in Illinois and Seattle in Washington, in western Montana, the New York City area, and around greater Los Angeles in California. There are likely only a few reasons for these limited concentrations - eg, (1) place of employment opportunity (eg, L.A., S. Ont.), and (2) offspring living near location of original settlement (eg, Montana).

The White Pages listings are only a guide to distribution, and must not be considered a reflection of the true general pattern of DEBOO location past or present. The lists would perhaps expand significantly, both in numbers and geographically, with the inclusion of married individuals no longer using the name, and with inclusion of other true variants such as Debou, DeBow and Debo. Further, known concentrations of names like Boo (also from bode?) at Seattle remain disconnected at this time.

Current distribution in North America includes individuals with distinctly separate roots in the Indian Subcontinent (Asia) and northwestern Europe. Settlement began at eastern locations (New York, New Jersey, New Brunswick), but as in Europe, work opportunities caused spread of the name to unlikely locations (Tennessee, Alberta), and to the big cites (New York, Toronto). Some occupations, such as ranching in Montana, have given strength to the name as the family business was passed from generation to generation. However, there is no single focus area or "homeland" (as in Flanders) for DEBOO in North America. We are all scattered immigrants here.