Where does “de Graaf” come from?
de Graaf (Dutch) comes from Dutch Graaf, from French gravé, from Middle French grave, from Old French gravé, from Medieval Latin grava, from Gaulish grawa, from Proto-Celtic grāwā, from Proto-Indo-European gʰroh₁weh₂ — to grind.
Ancestry of “de Graaf”, step by step
de Graaf traces back through two separate lines of ancestry.
via Dutch Graaf
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Dutch | Graaf | Alternative letter-case form of graaf |
| 2 | French | gravé | past participle of graver; burned |
| 3 | Middle French | grave | gravel |
| 4 | Old French | gravé | gravel |
| 5 | Medieval Latin | grava | — |
| 6 | Gaulish | grawa | — |
| 7 | Proto-Celtic | grāwā | gravel, pebbles |
| 8 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰroh₁weh₂ | — |
| 9 | Proto-Indo-European | gʰreh₁w- | to grind |