TV1 min ago
silly question
7 Answers
im sorry if this is a really dumb question, but ive always wondered if there was a reason why so many dutch people have 'van' as part of their surname?
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van in dutch is like the german von - meaning "of" or belonging to - this explains it better than i can
http://genealogy.about.com/library/authors/ucklaassen1f. htm
-- answer removed --
If you translate VAN into Afrikaans which is derived from Dutch is means "from".
Therfore a name like Jan van De Merwe
Means
Jan (the person) Van (from) De Merwe (Family name)
Therefore
Jan Desends from the De Merwe Family
This is of course is not really followed anymore and the Van has over the years been incorperated into the name leaving the family name as Van De Merwe
Afrikaans is basically the same as Dutch but with a different dialect. Does that help?
Therfore a name like Jan van De Merwe
Means
Jan (the person) Van (from) De Merwe (Family name)
Therefore
Jan Desends from the De Merwe Family
This is of course is not really followed anymore and the Van has over the years been incorperated into the name leaving the family name as Van De Merwe
Afrikaans is basically the same as Dutch but with a different dialect. Does that help?