| Question Home |
Position:Home>Genealogy> What country of origin do last names containing "Van" or "Von&quoQuestion: What country of origin do last names containing "Van" or "Von" have?
Best Answer - Chosen by Asker: 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 |