"Van" in names

[george.sand]

"Van" is the Dutch form of  German "von," meaning in English "of," as in Robin of Luxley (Robin Hood.) Originally it denoted a knight or peer who carried a surname indicating the land which he ruled, as a duchy, earldom, etc.

Paul Kusinitz 
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Van Vertloo, Brian J. (UMR-Student) 
  To: ADS-L at LISTSERV.UGA.EDU 
  Sent: Monday, January 27, 2003 1:14 PM
  Subject: "Van" in names


  Where does the "Van" come from in Dutch names?
  I've heard that a man had to pay some amount of money for the addition to his surname, but I'm not sure how accurate that is.

  Brian Van Vertloo