Van Family History

Van Surname Meaning

Vietnamese (Vạn): from the Chinese surname 萬 see Wan. Vietnamese (Văn): from the Chinese surnames 文 or 聞 see Wen 2 and 3 and also 5 below.

Vietnamese (Vân): from the Chinese surname 雲 see Yun Chinese: variant of Fan and Wan.

Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 文 see Wen. Czech (Vaň): from a shortened pet form of the personal name Václav (see Vaclav).

English (London and Essex): variant of Vann. — Note: It is likely that in the population figure published by the US Census Bureau the Dutch and Flemish preposition van ‘from of’ which forms the first part of surnames such as Van Acker and Van Dyke is in some instances counted as an independent surname.

Compare Vander.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Similar surnames: Kan, Jan, Vas, Pan, Man, Han, Wan, Ban, Ivan, Vana

12M	Birth, Marriage, and Deaths
364K	Military Records
680K	Immigration Records
1M	Census and Voter Lists
10M	Member Trees

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Van family from?

You can see how Van families moved over time by selecting different census years. The Van family name was found in the USA, the UK, Canada, and Scotland between 1840 and 1920. The most Van families were found in USA in 1920. In 1891 there were 25 Van families living in Lancashire. This was about 23% of all the recorded Van's in United Kingdom. Lancashire had the highest population of Van families in 1891.

Use census records and voter lists to see where families with the Van surname lived. Within census records, you can often find information like name of household members, ages, birthplaces, residences, and occupations.

View Census Data for Van

What did your Van ancestors do for a living?

In 1939, General labourer and Unpaid domestic duties were the top reported jobs for men and women in the United Kingdom named Van. 100% of Van men worked as a General labourer and 69% of Van women worked as an Unpaid domestic duties.

View Census Data for Van

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

General labourer

100%

Unpaid domestic duties

69%

Domestic servant

11%

Unpaid domestic

11%

Waitress

11%

What Van family records will you find?

Census Record

There are 1M census records available for the last name Van. Like a window into their day-to-day life, Van census records can tell you where and how your ancestors worked, their level of education, veteran status, and more.

Search UK census records for Van

Passenger List

There are 680K immigration records available for the last name Van. Passenger lists are your ticket to knowing when your ancestors arrived in the UK, and how they made the journey - from the ship name to ports of arrival and departure.

View all Van immigration records

Military Records

There are 364K military records available for the last name Van. For the veterans among your Van ancestors, military collections provide insights into where and when they served, and even physical descriptions.

View all Van military records

You've only scratched the surface of Van family history

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What is the average Van lifespan?

Between 1951 and 2004, in the United States, Van life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1955, and highest in 1963. The average life expectancy for Van in 1951 was 46, and 76 in 2004.

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Van family tree

Explore Your Tree

Search for another surname

Van Surname Meaning

Vietnamese (Vạn): from the Chinese surname 萬 see Wan. Vietnamese (Văn): from the Chinese surnames 文 or 聞 see Wen 2 and 3 and also 5 below.

Vietnamese (Vân): from the Chinese surname 雲 see Yun Chinese: variant of Fan and Wan.

Chinese: variant Romanization of the surname 文 see Wen. Czech (Vaň): from a shortened pet form of the personal name Václav (see Vaclav).

Compare Vander.

Source: Dictionary of American Family Names 2nd edition, 2022

Where is the Van family from?

What did your Van ancestors do for a living?

Data not to scale

We display top occupations by gender to maintain their historical accuracy during times when men and women often performed different jobs.

General labourer

100%

Unpaid domestic duties

69%

Domestic servant

11%

Unpaid domestic

11%

Waitress

11%

What Van family records will you find?

What is the average Van lifespan?

Between 1951 and 2004, in the United States, Van life expectancy was at its lowest point in 1955, and highest in 1963. The average life expectancy for Van in 1951 was 46, and 76 in 2004.

Van Family History

Van Surname Meaning

25 million record(s) for Van

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Van family from?

What did your Van ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Van family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Van family history

What is the average Van lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Van family tree

Search for another surname

Van Surname Meaning

25 million record(s) for Van

Search for a relative to learn more about your family history.

Where is the Van family from?

What did your Van ancestors do for a living?

Top Male Occupations In 1939

Top Female Occupations In 1939

What Van family records will you find?

Census Record

Passenger List

Military Records

You've only scratched the surface of Van family history

What is the average Van lifespan?

Discover the unique achievements of ancestors in the Van family tree

Search for another surname