Van
Usage of Van in different languages / cultures
The list below was created by gathering names from various sources for different languages, and then matching Van against each list of names.
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Albanian
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Arabic
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Armenian
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Bengali
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Bulgarian
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Catalan
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Chinese
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Cornish
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Croatian
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Czech
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Danish
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Dothraki
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Dutch
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English
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Estonian
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Filipino
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Finnish
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French
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Georgian
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German
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Greek
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Hawaiian
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Hebrew
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Hindi
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Hungarian
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Icelandic
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Indonesian
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Irish
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Italian
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Japanese
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Khmer
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Klingon
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Korean
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Latin
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Latvian
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Lithuanian
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Macedonian
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Norwegian
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Persian
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Polish
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Portuguese
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Romanian
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Russian
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Scottish
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Serbian
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Slovak
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Slovenian
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Spanish
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Swahili
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Swedish
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Telugu
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Thai
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Turkish
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Ukrainian
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Vietnamese
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Welsh
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Yiddish
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Yoruba
Note: In some cases it is possible for the check mark to be missing even if Van is used in a particular country, as almost no source name list has 100% coverage.
Featured in baby name books
Van is Dutch for “son of” or “from” and is a frequent surname prefix that can also be used by itself as a first name. Van can also be a short form of Evan, Ivan, or Vandyke; actor Van Johnson and pianist Van Cliburn are notable bearers. Van is also glossed “of noble descent.”
Van in official name statistics
United States
In 2025, 236 boys were named Van, making it the #970 boys' name in the US. Since 1880, 29,432 boys have been named Van, with the most (573) in 1954. It is most common, relative to births, in Utah, Louisiana and Kansas.
In 2025, 8 girls were named Van, making it the #10917 girls' name in the US. Since 1888, 1,762 girls have been named Van, with the most (58) in 1983.
Source: Social Security Administration baby name data, 1880–2025. Names given to fewer than 5 babies in a year are not listed.
Other countries
| Where | Rank | Count | Source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Armenia | #35 boys | 112 | Statistical Committee of the Republic of Armenia (Armstat), 2025 |
| New Zealand | #431 boys | 10 | Department of Internal Affairs (DIA), Births, Deaths and Marriages, 2025 |
| Finland | #555 boys (all ages) | 360 | Digital and Population Data Services Agency (DVV), 2026 |
| Norway | #782 boys (all ages) | 287 | Statistics Norway (SSB), 2025 |
| Poland (as Văn) | #844 boys (all ages) | 377 | Ministry of Digital Affairs (Ministerstwo Cyfryzacji), PESEL register, via dane.gov.pl, 2026 |
| Sweden | #502 boys (all ages) | 1,811 | Statistics Sweden (SCB), 2020 |
| Switzerland | #819 boys (all ages) | 733 | Federal Statistical Office (BFS/OFS), STATPOP, 2025 |
Counts are babies born that year, or living people for "all ages" rows, as published by each country's statistics office or population register.
Towns named Van
There are 829 towns and villages with Van in their name, in 27 countries.
🇻🇳 Vietnam 582🇺🇸 United States 130🇷🇺 Russia 33🇿🇦 South Africa 32🇳🇱 The Netherlands 13🇮🇷 Iran 6🇱🇦 Laos 5🇨🇦 Canada 4
| Name | Where | Population | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Van | Van, 🇹🇷 Turkey | 525,016 | Map |
| Van Buren | Arkansas, 🇺🇸 United States | 23,081 | Map |
| Đinh Văn | Lam Dong, 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 16,036 | Map |
| Van Wert | Ohio, 🇺🇸 United States | 10,798 | Map |
| Van Ness | District of Columbia, 🇺🇸 United States | 10,745 | Map |
| Vân Tùng | Thai Nguyen, 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 8,260 | Map |
| Vạn Thạnh | Khanh Hoa, 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 4,476 | Map |
| Van Alstyne | Texas, 🇺🇸 United States | 3,344 | Map |
| Van | Texas, 🇺🇸 United States | 2,685 | Map |
| Hồng Vân | Thừa Thiên Huế Province, 🇻🇳 Vietnam | 2,136 | Map |
Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Maps: OpenStreetMap.
Lakes named Van
There are 143 lakes and reservoirs with Van in their name, in 12 countries.
🇺🇸 United States 90🇨🇦 Canada 34🇷🇺 Russia 5🇻🇳 Vietnam 3🇿🇦 South Africa 3🇲🇴 Macao 2🇦🇺 Australia 1🇧🇪 Belgium 1
| Name | Where | |
|---|---|---|
| Chalvī Vàn | Yukon, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Lake Van | 🇹🇷 Turkey | Map |
| Lake Van | Florida, 🇺🇸 United States | Map |
| Lake Van | New Mexico, 🇺🇸 United States | Map |
| Lake Van | Florida, 🇺🇸 United States | Map |
| Nēghai Vàn | Yukon, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Van | Dalarna, 🇸🇪 Sweden | Map |
| Van Chō | Yukon, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Van Lake | Ontario, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
| Van Lake | Ontario, 🇨🇦 Canada | Map |
Source: GeoNames (CC BY 4.0). Maps: OpenStreetMap.
Celebrities named Van
Based on celebrities listed on Wikipedia, filtered to only those with the first name Van.
Van C. Mow
Van Chancellor
Van Cliburn
Van Dyke Parks
See more...
Fictional characters named Van
Characters from films and TV series, from Wikidata, ordered by how widely they are covered on Wikipedia.
Character data: Wikidata (CC0). Images: Wikimedia Commons; click an image for its author and licence.
Van as a pet name
FurryName has found 28 dogs named Van in public pet registers, making it the #3,350 dog name there. Most of them are registered in Framingham (1), Golden Plains Shire (1), Worcester (1). Van as a dog name →
Van products
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Van bracelet
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Van keychain
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Van ornament
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Van baby blanket
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Van name puzzle
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Van wall sign
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Van pillow
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