# Where does the first name "Van" come from?
**URL:** https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877
**Category:** Factual Questions
**Created:** [October 18, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877 "2006-10-18T02:22:14Z")
**Posts on this page:** 20
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 2:22am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/1 "2006-10-18T02:22:14Z")
So, I’m working on the orgins of the _cheeseburger_. We’re back to the early 1920’s(perhaps). And a brother of the supposed inventor is named, at birth **Morris**. I have nothing to suggest that he was Jewish. Rather the opposite. He died a Catholic. But somewhere in his early life he changed his name to “Van.”
That’s all I can give you. Why would he change his name to “Van” and what kind of a name is “Van?” They lived in Los Angeles, and he would have changed his name in or about the period of 1920-1935. Was he perhaps trying to get away from a name that “sounded” Jewish? Or am I reading too much into the name “Morris?” If “Morris” is a common first name, in the period of 1900-1930, outside of Jewish families, I’m ready to be enlightened and chagrinned.
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### Author:  [@RealityChuck](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/RealityChuck)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 2:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/2 "2006-10-18T02:30:51Z")
According to the Baby Name Wizard, “Van” was one of the top 500 names during that period, so it wasn’t all that uncommon. It’s from the Dutch, meaning “from”
“Morris” was even more common at the time. It wasn’t particularly a Jewish name; as a surname, it appears to be British.
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 2:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/3 "2006-10-18T02:34:07Z")
“Van” could be a shortening for Evan. It was a somewhat popular name in the 30s, due to the actors [Van Johnson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Johnson) and [Van Heflin](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Heflin). There were also several Vans in music, pianist [Van Cliburn](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Cliburn) and singer [Van Morrison](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Morrison), for example.
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### Author:  [@jayjay](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jayjay)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/4 "2006-10-18T02:37:23Z")
Also interesting is the charts on the Think Baby Names pages for [Morris](http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Morris) and [Van](http://www.thinkbabynames.com/search.php?g=1&t=1&s=van).
The peak of popularity of Morris seems to have happened at the turn of the century. The peak of popularity of Van came in the 1930s. It fits your time frames.
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### Author:  [@Zabali\_Clawbane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Zabali_Clawbane)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 2:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/5 "2006-10-18T02:37:39Z")
It could also be a shortening for Ivan as well.
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### Author:  [@elelle](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/elelle)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 2:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/6 "2006-10-18T02:50:28Z")
To stretch it a bit: Morris, as referred to here, means Dark, “Moorish” and Van ,“of”, as in Van Gogh, but also Van-illa. Yeah, a stretch…
I think jayjay has it right. Van was a nice clean sounding name for someone who wanted to start anew then, and that was what LA was all about at that time. Name changes, as exemplified by Hollywood folks, were quite acceptable in 30’s California culture, so factor that in.
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### Author:  [@samclem](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/samclem)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 3:04am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/7 "2006-10-18T03:04:33Z")
To give some more context, the father’s name was Herman, mother Minnie, brothers Lionel and Morris, and sister Theresa. Can’t supply original heritage, but pretty sure not Jewish.
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### Author:  [@Walloon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Walloon)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 3:21am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/8 "2006-10-18T03:21:27Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay]
“Van” could be a shortening for Evan. It was a somewhat popular name in the 30s, due to the actors [Van Johnson](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Johnson)
[/QUOTE]
Van Johnson didn’t make his first movie until 1940, and wasn’t a star until several years later.
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### Author:  [@Exapno\_Mapcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Exapno_Mapcase)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 4:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/9 "2006-10-18T04:18:28Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay]
There were also several Vans in music, pianist [Van Cliburn](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Cliburn) and singer [Van Morrison](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Morrison), for example.
[/QUOTE]
And the famous rock singer, Van Halen. 😃
My baby names books say variously that Van is short for the Dutch Vandyke and that it was a nickname based on the use of “van” in last names.
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### Author:  [@astorian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/astorian)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 4:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/10 "2006-10-18T04:36:35Z")
For what it’s worth, Van Morrison’s first name is Ivan.
Van Heflin’s name was Emmet Evan Heflin.
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### Author:  [@WotNot](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/WotNot)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 8:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/11 "2006-10-18T08:40:52Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay]
Also interesting is the charts on the Think Baby Names pages for [Morris](http://www.thinkbabynames.com/meaning/1/Morris) and [Van](http://www.thinkbabynames.com/search.php?g=1&t=1&s=van).
[/QUOTE]
And, just for the sake of contrast, a [Morris Van.](http://www.steamengine.com.au/events/reports/stringy-bark-2004/IMG_0865-morris-van.html)
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### Author:  [@Crotalus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crotalus)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 11:18am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/12 "2006-10-18T11:18:02Z")
I work with someone who goes by Van whose first name is Donovan.
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### Author:  [@Colophon](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Colophon)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 11:59am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/13 "2006-10-18T11:59:44Z")
Then of course there were the twin brothers, both named Van. As time went by and the boys went off to college, one of them, to distinguish himself from his brother, began to wear increasingly outrageous clothes, and affected an effeminate voice and mincing gait.
Of the two, he was the camper Van.
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### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/14 "2006-10-18T14:27:38Z")
[QUOTE=astorian]
For what it’s worth, Van Morrison’s first name is Ivan.
[/QUOTE]
For the record, Van Morrison’s first name is _George_. His second name is Ivan.
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### Author:  [@John\_DiFool](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_DiFool)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 4:35pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/15 "2006-10-18T16:35:49Z")
I can’t figure out “Von” either (as in Von Hayes, 80’s Phillies outfielder). When I first heard it,
I wondered what his first name was (“Vladimir” von Hayes a la “Wolfgang von Richthoven”?).
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### Author:  [@Acsenray](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Acsenray)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 4:56pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/16 "2006-10-18T16:56:38Z")
[QUOTE=John DiFool]
I can’t figure out “Von” either (as in Von Hayes, 80’s Phillies outfielder). When I first heard it,
I wondered what his first name was (“Vladimir” von Hayes a la “Wolfgang von Richthoven”?).
[/QUOTE]
My guess is that it could also have been a variant spelling for Vaugh(a)n.
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### Author:  [@The\_Flying\_Dutchman](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Flying_Dutchman)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 7:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/17 "2006-10-18T19:00:05Z")
As a dutchman, my last name starts with van der … My mother’s maiden name goes van … my desire to assimilate in the North American culture led me to wish I could drom the “der” part. Lets face it. Van Halen, VanDam, VanDyke and Vancouver sounds cool even to English ears.
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### Author:  [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 7:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/18 "2006-10-18T19:08:54Z")
[QUOTE=jayjay]
pianist [Van Cliburn](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Cliburn) and singer [Van Morrison](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Van_Morrison), for example.
[/QUOTE]
In Cliburn’s case it was a contraction of Lavan.
Sometimes American males of Dutch descent with Van in their surnames came to be known as “Van” by their friends and families. There was a Van Swearingen at my high school who said that the family name had once been Van Swearingen, but then they decided to drop the Van. Van was his first name.
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### Author:  [@Spectre\_of\_Pithecanthropus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Spectre_of_Pithecanthropus)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 7:23pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/19 "2006-10-18T19:23:49Z")
[QUOTE=acsenray]
My guess is that it could also have been a variant spelling for Vaugh(a)n.
[/QUOTE]
Among actual German names with “von”, it’s not unusual to encounter non-German sounding elements. When I did my junior year abroad in Goettingen I know I saw a Prof. von Simpson on a faculty roster somewhere.
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### Author:  [@gigi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gigi)
#### Post date: [October 18, 2006, 8:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/where-does-the-first-name-van-come-from/376877/20 "2006-10-18T20:32:14Z")
[QUOTE=Colophon]
Of the two, he was the camper Van.
[/QUOTE]
And since he was also quite immature, he was less Van’s brother and more his son.