Van (Dutch)
Encyclopedia
Van is a preposition in the Dutch
and Afrikaans languages, meaning "of" or "from". It is also a common prefix in Dutch surname
s (being known as a tussenvoegsel
), as in Vincent van Gogh
or Marco van Basten. It can appear by itself or in combination with another prefix, such as van de, van der and van den (current and archaic forms of the article de, meaning "the") and less commonly van het or van 't (the neutral article het). The German
"von
" is a cognate of Dutch "van", though unlike the German "von", the Dutch "van" is not an indication of nobility
or royalty
. These prepositions usually refer to a geographic place.
and capitalisation of names in the Dutch language differs between the Netherlands
and Belgium
:
In some anglicised versions of Dutch names (e.g. Dick Van Dyke
, George Vancouver
, Martin Van Buren
), or in the case where the word is not of Dutch origin, as in Vietnamese name
s (Duong Van Minh
, Nguyen Van Thieu
), it is always capitalised. In terms like van der Waals radius
(Dutch: vanderwaalsstraal) the "v" is not capitalised, unless it is the first word of the sentence.
or Vandermonde
.
Dutch language
Dutch is a West Germanic language and the native language of the majority of the population of the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname, the three member states of the Dutch Language Union. Most speakers live in the European Union, where it is a first language for about 23 million and a second...
and Afrikaans languages, meaning "of" or "from". It is also a common prefix in Dutch surname
Surname
A surname is a name added to a given name and is part of a personal name. In many cases, a surname is a family name. Many dictionaries define "surname" as a synonym of "family name"...
s (being known as a tussenvoegsel
Tussenvoegsel
A tussenvoegsel in Dutch linguistics is a word that is positioned between a person's first and last name. The most common tussenvoegsels are "van" meaning "from" and "de" , meaning "the"...
), as in Vincent van Gogh
Vincent van Gogh
Vincent Willem van Gogh , and used Brabant dialect in his writing; it is therefore likely that he himself pronounced his name with a Brabant accent: , with a voiced V and palatalized G and gh. In France, where much of his work was produced, it is...
or Marco van Basten. It can appear by itself or in combination with another prefix, such as van de, van der and van den (current and archaic forms of the article de, meaning "the") and less commonly van het or van 't (the neutral article het). The German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
"von
Von
In German, von is a preposition which approximately means of or from.When it is used as a part of a German family name, it is usually a nobiliary particle, like the French, Spanish and Portuguese "de". At certain times and places, it has been illegal for anyone who was not a member of the nobility...
" is a cognate of Dutch "van", though unlike the German "von", the Dutch "van" is not an indication of nobility
Nobility
Nobility is a social class which possesses more acknowledged privileges or eminence than members of most other classes in a society, membership therein typically being hereditary. The privileges associated with nobility may constitute substantial advantages over or relative to non-nobles, or may be...
or royalty
Royal family
A royal family is the extended family of a king or queen regnant. The term imperial family appropriately describes the extended family of an emperor or empress, while the terms "ducal family", "grand ducal family" or "princely family" are more appropriate to describe the relatives of a reigning...
. These prepositions usually refer to a geographic place.
Other prepositions
The preposition "van" is the most widely used preposition in Dutch surnames, but others are also used:- te — meaning "at" (or/of towards), (or ter and ten, being the old dative forms), e.g., ter Beek (of the stream), or the old forms of te being thoe or thor in thoe Sloten and Thorbecke (at SlotenSlotenSloten is the name of two towns in the Netherlands:* Sloten, Friesland, the city in the municipality of Gaasterlân-Sleat* Sloten, Amsterdam, village in North Holland...
and at the brook) - aan — meaning "at" or "aside", e.g., aan de Stegge which means aside the road.
- op — meaning on (also in combination op de, op den, op 't, op der), e.g., op den Beek (on the brook)
Collation and capitalisation
CollationCollation
Collation is the assembly of written information into a standard order. One common type of collation is called alphabetization, though collation is not limited to ordering letters of the alphabet...
and capitalisation of names in the Dutch language differs between the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
and Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
:
- In the Netherlands, names starting with "van" are filed under the initial letter of the following name proper, so van der Waals is filed under "W", thus;
Waals, van der, Johannes, orWaals, Johannes van der. The "v" is written in lower case, except if the first name or initials are omitted, in which case it is capitalised, as in "de schilder Van Gogh" ("the painter Van Gogh") or "de heer Van Teylingen" ("Mister Van Teylingen"). The same holds for "Jacobus Henricus van 't HoffJacobus Henricus van 't HoffJacobus Henricus van 't Hoff, Jr. was a Dutch physical and organic chemist and the first winner of the Nobel Prize in chemistry. He is best known for his discoveries in chemical kinetics, chemical equilibrium, osmotic pressure, and stereochemistry...
". (Notice the space between van and 't.) There are a number of other tussenvoegsels for which similar rules apply: Jan de Hondt, Anna in 't Veld, Karel 't Lam etc.
- In Belgium Eric Van RompuyEric Van RompuyEric Karel Paul Van Rompuy is a Flemish politician.-Biography:He is the son of the later Prof. em. dr. Vic Van Rompuy and brother of Herman Van Rompuy and Christine Van Rompuy....
is filed under "V". The "V" is always capitalized. The same filing usage holds for Afrikaans.
In some anglicised versions of Dutch names (e.g. Dick Van Dyke
Dick Van Dyke
Richard Wayne "Dick" Van Dyke is an American actor, comedian, writer, and producer with a career spanning six decades. He is the older brother of Jerry Van Dyke, and father of Barry Van Dyke...
, George Vancouver
George Vancouver
Captain George Vancouver RN was an English officer of the British Royal Navy, best known for his 1791-95 expedition, which explored and charted North America's northwestern Pacific Coast regions, including the coasts of contemporary Alaska, British Columbia, Washington and Oregon...
, Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren
Martin Van Buren was the eighth President of the United States . Before his presidency, he was the eighth Vice President and the tenth Secretary of State, under Andrew Jackson ....
), or in the case where the word is not of Dutch origin, as in Vietnamese name
Vietnamese name
Vietnamese names generally consist of three parts: a family name, a middle name, and a given name, used in that order. The "family name first" order follows the system of Chinese names and is common throughout the Sinosphere , but is different from Chinese, Korean, and Japanese names in having a...
s (Duong Van Minh
Duong Van Minh
Minh was born on 16 February 1916 in Mỹ Tho Province in the Mekong Delta, the son of a wealthy landowner who served in a prominent position in the Finance Ministry of the French colonial administration...
, Nguyen Van Thieu
Nguyen Van Thieu
Nguyễn Văn Thiệu was president of South Vietnam from 1965 to 1975. He was a general in the Army of the Republic of Vietnam , became head of a military junta, and then president after winning a fraudulent election...
), it is always capitalised. In terms like van der Waals radius
Van der Waals radius
The van der Waals radius, r, of an atom is the radius of an imaginary hard sphere which can be used to model the atom for many purposes. It is named after Johannes Diderik van der Waals, winner of the 1910 Nobel Prize in Physics, as he was the first to recognise that atoms had a finite size and to...
(Dutch: vanderwaalsstraal) the "v" is not capitalised, unless it is the first word of the sentence.
Concatenation
In some names (usually Flemish belgian names) the prefixes are concatenated to each other or to the name proper, as in VanderveldeEmile Vandervelde
thumb|upright|Emile VanderveldeEmile Vandervelde was a Belgian statesman, born at Ixelles. He studied law at the Free University of Brussels and became doctor of laws in 1885 and doctor of social science in 1888.-Activities:Vandervelde became a member of the Parti Ouvrier...
or Vandermonde
Alexandre-Théophile Vandermonde
Alexandre-Théophile Vandermonde was a French musician, mathematician and chemist who worked with Bézout and Lavoisier; his name is now principally associated with determinant theory in mathematics. He was born in Paris, and died there.Vandermonde was a violinist, and became engaged with...
.