Particle (onomastic)

See also: Particle

The particle is a Préposition which precedes a family name.

In French it can take the simple form “ of ”, the elided form “ of ”, be accompanied by an article “ of the ”, even contracted “ of the ” or “ of the ”.

It also exists in other languages: Dutch “ van ”, German “ von ”, English “ off ”.

The nobiliary particle: a misleading track

Contrary to an generally accepted idea, the particle cannot in no case to be taken as a mark of Noblesse (not besides than its absence prevents from being noble). Indeed, the particle initially attests the origin or the property (Génitif). Consequence: certain owners or commoners can have some without to be noble
Pierre-Augustin Charon de Beaumarchais (where Charon is the Patronyme and Beaumarchais the name of ground)

A contrario , certain families of authentic nobility never raised the invaluable particle:

the baron Large
the duke Pasquier

It is erroneous to believe that one preserves the particle in the names of minor nobility - in France, there did not exist the small one or of great nobility - as in film on de Gaulle , in which the general asks an officer:

- Why do you call me Gaulle?
- Because you are noblesse.
- Oh! I am of quite minor nobility!

Rules of use

It appears only when the name is preceded by a Prénom, of a title or a denomination (Sir, Madam, marquis, abbot, general, etc):
Jean of the Fountain
the marquis de Sade
Madam de “historical” Sévigné
Subtlety: In a systematic way until the Great century, and sometimes still nowadays, one finds the particle employed after family ties (like cousin (E) , uncle/aunt , grandfather/grandmother ).
One can thus find:
my cousin of Maintenon , my grandmother of Bourbon-Parma

When the name is employed without first name or title, the “ of ” is not maintained:

the Fountain
Richelieu
Montherlant

But “ of ”, “ Of the ” or “ Of the ” is maintained:

Of Guesclin
Of the Bus
Of Esseintes
of Alembert
of Hozier

However, one usually preserves the particle “ of ” for the names of a sound syllable (the E final being dumb):

of Thou
De Sèze
de Gaulle
  • Exception: the use wants that one omits the “ ” for Sade.

The particle “of”/“of” is generally not taken into account in the alphabetical classification: of Sèze will be classified under S rather than under D, just as of Alembert will be classified under has rather than under D.

Capital letter or tiny?

  • “ of ” and “ of ”: the particle being a preposition marking the origin, it is always written in tiny:
Raymond de Sèze
Gerard d' Aboville
Alfred de Musset
Jacques de Sarrazin
However, if it is preceded by the preposition “ of ”, the Majuscule makes it possible to distinguish both “ from ”:
memories of Mister of Sèze
memories of De Sèze

Attention: if “ of ” does not mark the origin, but is only one dialectal form of the article (generally to the North of France because French “ the ” says “ Flemish ” in ), one leaves the capital letter: Felix De Boeck .

  • “ of the ” and “ of the ”, on the other hand, generally takes the capital letter when they are not accompanied by a first name or a title:

a novel of Guy of the Bus
the novelist Of the Bus

  • “ of the ”: Attention with the handling of the “ the ”, where the particle disappears completely normally when the name is alone but where on the other hand remains It:

the Heather
“historical” Rochefoucauld
Subtlety : According to a use which was lost after the 16th century, the “ the ” is written with a capital letter when the name is supplied of a first name, a title or a denomination, but it is written with tiny when the name is isolated:
Jean of the Heather
Etienne of Boétie
the Heather and Boétie
It is however of use, nowadays, to write the “ the ” systematically with a capital: “ the ”.

  • the foreign particles are written, they also, into tiny:

Otto von Bismarck
Rembrandt van Rijn
Antonio di Malfeta

See too

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