Van

Boy name

Van has been given to 31,194 babies in the U.S. since 1880. It peaked in 1953 and currently ranks #972 for boys (2025).

Meaning & origin /væn/

In the United States, usually taken from a first name or surname. * In Wales, from Y Fan, see Welsh fan.

Etymology adapted from Wiktionary, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0.

Hover or tap the chart to read any year.

Total babies

31,194

Peak year

1953 (591 babies)

Rank in 2025

#972 for boys

First recorded

1880

10-year trend

▼ -18%

Gender split

6% girls / 94% boys

Van Morrison

Northern Irish musician

Van Heflin

American actor (1908–1971)

Van Johnson

American actor (1916–2008)

Notability data from Wikidata (CC0).

Same primary gender, peaked around the same years, and roughly as common as Van.

31,285 babies since 1880

32,114 babies since 1880

30,051 babies since 1926

29,827 babies since 1880

29,324 babies since 1909

29,134 babies since 1913

28,669 babies since 1880

34,173 babies since 1898

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