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[Surname] Re: Biden
in reply to a message by Marc
Thanks for your help. Does the "de" suggest that Biden has a Norman root? Or was "de" added to most surnames in England, regardless of the individual name's history? "Down" as in a grassy knoll, evolved from an Old English word rooted in Old Dutch and Low German.L'ecrivain doit se faire le voix de ceux qui n'avaient pas de voix.
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The 'de' in question simply means 'from' such and such a place, and shows up before many names that are Anglo-Saxon in origin. Down is from Old English dun 'hill' which has cognates in other Germanic languages.
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Thanks for your help!
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