Van Heemstra is a family that belongs to the

Dutch nobility The Dutch nobility is a small elite social class consisting of individuals or families recognised as nobility, noble, and with or without a title of nobility in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. The existence of nobility was established in the Con ...

History

The family is of Frisian origin. The

genealogy Genealogy () is the study of families, family history, and the tracing of their lineages. Genealogists use oral interviews, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kin ...

of the family begins with ''Taecke Obbema Heemstra'', mentioned as a voting representative (nobleman) in Oostergo in 1492. After the founding of the Kingdom of the Netherlands in November 1813, the Frisian nobility was integrated. In 1814 the Van Heemstra family was recognized as belonging to Dutch nobility with the title of

baron Baron is a rank of nobility or title of honour, often Hereditary title, hereditary, in various European countries, either current or historical. The female equivalent is baroness. Typically, the title denotes an aristocrat who ranks higher than ...

Notable members

* Schelto van Heemstra (1804–1864), Dutch politician. * Aarnoud van Heemstra (1871–1957), Dutch lawyer and politician. *

Ella van Heemstra Baroness Ella van Heemstra, (12 June 190026 August 1984) was a Dutch-British Aristocracy (class), aristocrat and the mother of actress Audrey Hepburn. Biography Ella van Heemstra was a Dutch aristocrat and the third of five daughters of Baron ...

(1900–1984), Dutch-British socialite and mother of

Audrey Hepburn Audrey Kathleen Hepburn ( Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress. Recognised as a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen legend from the Classical Holly ...

. *

(4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993), Belgian-born British actress, humanitarian and presenter. * Schelto van Heemstra (6 January 1941 – 12 September 2023), Dutch diplomat and ambassador

Coat of arms

The coat of arms of the family is in blue a golden eagle.

References

Literature

* T. Voerman, ''Van Heemstra, genealogische aantekeningen betreffende het geslacht van Heemstra tot het eind der 19e eeuw'', Amsterdam, 1989. * ''Nederlands Adelsboek, jaargang 84'', The Hague, 1994. Dutch-language surnames Dutch noble families {{Europe-noble-stub