[D.I. Thomas]

Originally Posted by Jellby

I don't know in French, but in Spanish the "de" does not always denote aristocracy (I'd say more often doesn't). It also means "from", so it was used in times when surnames were often just the town where someone's family came from, or the name of the father/mother.

Like Jean d'Arc? (Joan of Arc to us Brits, The Maid of Orleans to many).

Regards,

Ian.