Daniel Foe Is His Real Name

Despite not knowing the exact day or month of his birth, Daniel was born in the year 1660. He was most likely born in Fore Street in the London neighborhood of St. Giles Cripplegate. Daniel Foe was his real name. An interesting detail about Daniel Defoe is that the prefix "De" was later added to his second name and in French it denotes affectation. Defoe added the aristocratic-sounding "De" to his name and occasionally claimed to be a member of the family De Beau Faux. The prefix "De" is also frequently used in Flemish surnames.

His father, James Foe, was a well-to-do Flemish tallow chandler who belonged to the Worshipful Company of Butchers. The Great Plague of London, which claimed 70,000 lives in 1665, and the Great Fire of London, which destroyed all but Defoe's and two other nearby homes the following year, occurred during the early years of Defoe's life. When he was most likely around seven years old, a Dutch fleet raided the Medway via the Thames and attacked the town of Chatham. His mother, Alice, had died by the time he was approximately ten.