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The name DeKoven used to be De Koven, before the computer age and its
problems with spaces in names. Originally, the name probably came
from the Russian word roughly 'Duchovny', changed during
immigration into the US.
Nobody seems to know for sure what the name was before "Dekoven." Some
possibilities are Kovner, or "Duchovny." Duchovny means "spritual" in Russian,
and we were told the family had a lot of rabbis and gaonim.
Harriet De Koven says: My ancestors from "Russsia" were called Kovensky, later
Koven, and shortly later "De Koven". Noone is clear on where the "De" in De
Koven came from.
SO... as a student of economics, I have improvised: there are today De Kovens
in Holland, making the name a Dutch Jewish name, with rabbis among its holders.
In the 17th century when Amsterdam was the financial centre of the world, Dutch
traders went into Russia and many of those traders were likely Jewish. To
Russify De Koven, one would drop the De and add an "sky". A fanciful but
plausible explanation.
Also, Koven is generally associated with Kovno, Lithuania. Other names include
Kovner, Kovnantz, Kovensky, all associated with residents of Kovno.
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