Van

Dutch
"of"

Van Origin and Meaning

The name Van is a boy's name of Dutch origin meaning "of".

Whether it's used as a short form or on its own, this jazzy midcentury name is poised for a comeback along with brothers Ray and Walt.

More often heard as a surname prefix (e.g. Vincent van Gogh, Dick Van Dyke), Van by itself has had some notable bearers, such as musician Van Cliburn (born Harvey Kevan) and actors Van Johnson (born Charles Van) and Van Heflin (born Emmett Evan). Because of its common connection to surnames, it makes for an interesting middle name option. Van reached as high as Number 265 in 1946.

# 915 in the US

Van Rank in US Top 1000

# 451 on Nameberry

Van Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

Van Popularity

Famous People Named Van

  • Sie George Ivan (Van) Morrison
    Irish singer,songwriter
  • (Charles) Van Dell Johnson
    American actor
  • Emmett Evan "Van" Heflin
    American actor
  • Harvey Lavan "Van" Cliburn
    American pianist
  • Ryan Evan "Van" McCann
    English lead singer of Catfish and the Bottlemen
  • Anthony Kapel "Van" Jones
    American political activist and commentator
  • Evan Vanfossen "Van" Hansis
    American actor
  • Van Harold Green
    American NFL football player
  • Van Nelson
    American distance runner
  • Van Tiffin
    American NFL football player
  • Trig Paxson Van Palin
    son of politician Sarah Palin
  • Edward "Eddie" Van Halen
    Dutch,American rock guitarist
  • Vincent Van Gogh
    Dutch painter

Van in Pop Culture

  • Van
    a main character in the anime "Escaflowne," pronounced Von/Vaughn
  • Van Montgomery
    a main character on TV's "Reba"
  • "National Lampoon's Van Wilder
    " 2002 film about the title character
  • Van Hohenheim
    character in manga/anime, "Fullmetal Alchemist"
  • Van
    a large motor vehicle
  • Van Delorey
    character in Netflix's "American Vandal"