Van

“Variant of Donovan — Descendant of 'brown-and-black' (Irish patronymic)” — Irish (nickname for Donovan) origin

Boy's name · #972 in the US (2025) · Timeless

Few names move less than Van — on the books since 1880, #972 in 2025, and dependable in between. Roughly 29,000 boys share it. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Around the world: about 1 in 1,600 boys in New Zealand (2025) · about 1 in 6,300 boys in Canada (2024).

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 24 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Famous Vans

Van Morrison — Northern Irish musician
Van Heflin — American actor (1908–1971)
Van Johnson — American actor (1916–2008)
Van Cliburn — American pianist (1934–2013)
Van Jones — American environmental advocate and civil rights activist

In stories & tradition

Van Veeteren — Inspector Van Veeteren mystery
Van den Budenmayer — fictional human
Van Wayne — Powerless

What Vans become

Among 447 notable people named Van:

Artists & writers appear 1.37× more often than among typical names — e.g. Van Dyke Parks, American musician, songwriter, arranger, and record producer (born 1943).

Similar names: Donovan · Clyde · Vance · Mack · Irvin · Orrin

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

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