Genealogy Chat

Top tip - using the Genes Reunited community

Welcome to the Genes Reunited community boards!

  • The Genes Reunited community is made up of millions of people with similar interests. Discover your family history and make life long friends along the way.
  • You will find a close knit but welcoming group of keen genealogists all prepared to offer advice and help to new members.
  • And it's not all serious business. The boards are often a place to relax and be entertained by all kinds of subjects.
  • The Genes community will go out of their way to help you, so don’t be shy about asking for help.

Boards

Quick Search

Single word search

Tools

Findmypast DNA Banner

Icons

  • New posts
  • No new posts
  • Thread closed
  • Stickied, new posts
  • Stickied, no new posts

meaning of de

Login to Add Reply Watch This
ProfilePosted byOptionsPost Date

^ ^ ^ Ancient Egyptian Spinx ^ ^ ^

^ ^ ^ Ancient Egyptian Spinx ^ ^ ^ Report 5 Jun 2012 21:04

Can anyone please tell me the meaning of de for example ADAM DE HOLDEN. I have found quite a few names with de in the middle. Thank You

MargaretM

MargaretM Report 5 Jun 2012 21:30

In French it means of.

Researching:
Great grandmother Dorothy Bean nee Abbott (1858-1908)

^ ^ ^ Ancient Egyptian Spinx ^ ^ ^

^ ^ ^ Ancient Egyptian Spinx ^ ^ ^ Report 5 Jun 2012 21:45

Thank You Margee.

grannyfranny

grannyfranny Report 5 Jun 2012 22:36

Because there weren't surnames in the 'olden' days, people were called by where they were born, or from. So a number of siblings could have different 'surnames' if they were born in different places.

Researching:
Freeman of Berwick upon Tweed

MarieCeleste

MarieCeleste Report 5 Jun 2012 23:11

The De sometimes gets absorbed into the name as a whole. My ancestors were
Daubeney, which is a corruption of de Aubigny

mgnv

mgnv Report 5 Jun 2012 23:56

The German equivalent is von, and the Dutch/Afrikaans equivalent is van.

Ivy

Ivy Report 6 Jun 2012 07:49

The Welsh didn't use placenames to distinguish individuals; they used patronymics.

For example if Evan's father was Rees, he would be Evan ap Rees; and the p could transfer over time to the surname, becoming, in this case, Preese or Price.