From the time of your reply I assume you're also in Europe or at least not in the Americas. You are spot on in your guess. Colleagues and friends over the pond don't use the EDK for abseiling or rappelling as they say.
Also, not sure how the name was picked-up, but that's just plain bad marketing putting Death in the name :)
(Big caveat: this all depends on joining nylon ropes of similar diameters. Different diameters and UHMWPE cord has different rules)
My understanding is that the American's picked it up from the Europeans in the 90's, but then mixed up with the figure-8 knot which is the actual death knot. Some guy on the internet did some tests, and the figure 8 will roll and capsize at about 1-2 kN. Rappel loads are usually a bit under 1 kN, but if you hit enough snags, it could come out and there was a bunch of accidents resulting from that.
The overhand knot, when tied normally will role at about 3-4 kN which is well above a normal amount of force in a rappel. Also, it tightens as it rolls, so with enough tail, you'll be dead from something else before it could be a concern.
Incidentally, the double fisherman has a bad habit of getting stuck, so if you're doing multiple rappels, especially in icy conditions, or in sticky/jagged rocks, it presents a whole different safety problem.
Everyone I've run into here(Colorado) with more than ~2 years of climbing experience uses the EDK for tying two ropes together for rappelling. Maybe it doesn't come up in conversation as commonly since we typically use single ropes(as opposed to half ropes that you see a lot in the UK).
The etymology behind the name isn't known, it is thought that the name is from Americans. FWIW, it is a bend. While all bends are knots, not all knots are bends. So the EDK name really leaves a lot to wish for.
