Thys is a
Dutch patronymic surname
A patronymic surname is a surname originated from the given name of the father or a patrilineal ancestor. Different cultures have different ways of producing patronymic surnames.
For example, early patronymic Welsh surnames were the result of th ...
. It is an alternative spelling of
Thijs, a very common nickname for Matthijs (
Mattheus Mattheus is a masculine given name and surname, a Latin form of Matthew. Notable people with the name include:
Given name
* Mattheus van Beveren (c. 1630-1696), Flemish sculptor
* Mattheus Borrekens (1615-1670), Flemish engraver
* Mattheus Ignatiu ...
). The Dutch digraph
ij and the y ("ij" without dots) were used interchangeably until the surname spelling fixations around 1810. The form "Thys" is particularly common in the Belgian province of
Antwerp
Antwerp (; nl, Antwerpen ; french: Anvers ; es, Amberes) is the largest city in Belgium by area at and the capital of Antwerp Province in the Flemish Region. With a population of 520,504, , while "Thijs" is most common in
Belgian Limburg.
Outside the Low Countries the spelling is almost exclusively "Thys." People with this surname include:
Surname
*
Albert Thys (1849–1915), Belgian businessman active in the Congo Free State
*
Albert Thys (1894–1976), painter
*
Alphonse Thys
Alphonse Thys (8 March 1807 – 1 August 1879) was a 19th-century French composer.
Short biography
He studied harmony at the Conservatoire de Paris with Émile Bienaimé and composition with Henri-Montan Berton.
In 1833, he won the first Prix ...
(1807–1879), French composer
*
Antoine Thys (Antonius Thysius) (1565–1640), Dutch theologian
*
Edith Thys (born 1966), American alpine skier
*
Gert Thys (born 1971), South African long-distance runner
*
Guy Thys (1922–2003), Belgian footballer and football coach
*
Guy Lee Thys (born 1952), Belgian film producer, director, and screenwriter
*
Gysbrecht Thys (1617–1684), Flemish painter
*
Ivan Thys
Ivan Thys (29 April 1897 – 15 February 1982) was a Belgian footballer. He played in sixteen matches for the Belgium national football team
The Belgium national football teamfrench: Équipe nationale belge de footballgerman: Belgisc ...
(1897–1982), Belgian footballer
*
Jeffrey Thys (born 1988), Belgian field hockey player
*
Nicolas Thys
Nicolas Thys (born 27 August 1968) is a Belgian bassist. He graduated in 1994 from the Hilversum Conservatory (in the Netherlands), where he also taught bass and double bass. Thys took private lessons with Dave Holland, Marc Helias and Ma ...
(born 1968), Belgian bassist
*
Pauline Thys
Pauline Marie Elisa Thys Lebault'' (1835–1909) was a French composer and librettist. She was born in Paris, her father was the opéra comique composer Alphonse Thys (1807–1879). Initially she composed salon romances and light piano music, bef ...
(c.1836–1909), French composer and librettist
*
Philippe Thys (1889–1971), Belgian cyclist; three times winner of the Tour de France
*
Thierry Thys (1931–2009), American aerospace engineer and pilot
See also
*
Thijs, given name, nickname and surname
*
Tijs, an ever shorter Dutch form of Matthew
References
{{surname
Dutch-language surnames
Surnames of Belgian origin
Patronymic surnames
Surnames from given names