2007-01-25 21:38:04 · 7 answers · asked by Chuck Dhue 4 in Arts & Humanities ➔ Genealogy
Von, when it is used as a part of a German family name, it can indicate a member of the nobility, like the French and Spanish "de". At certain times and places, it has been illegal for anyone who was not a member of the nobility to use von before their family name. However, in the middle ages the "von" particle was still a common part of names and was widely used also by commoners, e.g. "Hans von Duisburg" meant Hans from (the city of) Duisburg.
van" is Dutch for "of" and "from", and thus occurs at the beginning of many Dutch surnames
2007-01-25 21:44:01 · answer #1 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 1⤋
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2016-05-24 01:11:15 · answer #2 · answered by Clarissa 4 · 0⤊ 0⤋
'Van' is Dutch. As in the Kingdom of the Netherlands. "Von" is German. Examples include Vincent Van Gogh, the Dutch painter, and Ludwig Von Beethoven, the legendary German composer.
2007-01-25 21:48:31 · answer #3 · answered by Anonymous · 1⤊ 0⤋
Hello Von is from Germany and Van is from The Netherlands. I am from The Netherlands so that's how i know it.
Esp
2007-01-25 22:21:18 · answer #4 · answered by Esp 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
In general, surnames with "von" probably are German in origin. "Von", which means "from" in German, actually is an indication of being, at the very least, of the upper class. "Van" is Dutch, and is much more common, and doesn't necessarily have the upper class designation that "von" does for Germans.
2007-01-26 01:48:46 · answer #5 · answered by KCBA 5 · 1⤊ 1⤋
i could be wrong on this,but i believe it comes from germany or prussia.i havent read anything on this area in some time.
2007-01-27 04:06:38 · answer #6 · answered by gary s 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
sounds Dutch to me
2007-01-25 21:43:21 · answer #7 · answered by dana5169 7 · 0⤊ 1⤋