how many times can you spot the letter "i" in:
this is the web page for the de maillet one name study. initial focus will be on the de maillet name in the united kingdom and western europe, followed by maillet and other variants, moving then into the americas and beyond. the name crops up globally although it is not particularly common. highest concentrations seem to be france (unsurprisingly), netherlands and belgium. known individuals with the name also appear in south america and canada.
as far as i am aware there are only two people with the surname de maillet living in the united kingdom at the moment. the name originates from a schoolmaster doron or peter de maillet who was living in stroud in 1840. he also appears in newspapers in 1833 in cheltenham, gloucestershire. earlier history is proving elusive.
famous "de maillets"
probably the most famous person to bear the de maillet name was benoit de maillet (1656-1738). he was the french ambassador to egypt and also a keen geologist and archaelogist. he is famous for his book telliamed which is in the form of a conversation discussing the origins of the earth and mankind. his theories are now considered far fetched but he really helped science make the break away from creationism and the control of the church.
user
I counted seventy-eight "i"s in that text.
assistant