NamesBoyV › Van
Boy name

Van

/ˈvæn/ · 94% boys · #972 in the US for boys, 2025

Van has been given to about 31,194 people in the United States since 1880. It was most common in 1953, which makes it a midcentury name.

Meaning
Origin
Syllables1
Pronunciation/ˈvæn/
Nicknames
Living in the US≈ 21,981
Median age today58 years

Popularity, 1880–2025

Babies named Van per year · SSA, ONS, NRS, CSO, INSEE and SSB
18802025
United StatesEngland & WalesScotlandFranceNorwayeach scaled to its own peak
  • Peak year1953 · 591
  • Born in 2025244
  • All time31,194
  • England & Wales, 20253

How popular is Van?

Van ranks 972nd among American boys in 2025, with 244 born that year. Its best year was 1953, when 591 babies were given the name, ranking 294th. The typical living American called Van is about 58 years old today. It is relatively most common in Utah, where it accounts for 0.04% of births.

Names that sound like Van

Phonetic similarity, 0–1
  1. Dan0.75
  2. Jan0.75
  3. Evan0.74
  4. Ivan0.74
  5. Ian0.68
  6. Ean0.68
  7. Ryan0.62
  8. Val0.65

Middle names for Van

Ranked by flow score
  1. Van Thomas0.74
  2. Van Cole0.73
  3. Van Miles0.73
  4. Van Wilder0.72
  5. Van James0.71
  6. Van John0.55

Sibling names for Van

Same era, comparable use, no clash
  1. Gwensister · 0.96
  2. Lionelbrother · 0.95
  3. Myrasister · 0.94
  4. Margosister · 0.94
  5. Clarkbrother · 0.94
  6. Frankieeither · 0.93

Where Van is strongest

Share of 2025 births by state
  1. Utah0.04%
  2. Louisiana0.02%
  3. Kansas0.02%
  4. Arizona0.02%
  5. Michigan0.01%

With a common surname

Flow score against the most-used American surnames · try your own
  1. Van Evans0.73
  2. Van Edwards0.73
  3. Van Anderson0.70
  4. Van Allen0.70
  5. Van Adams0.70
  6. Van Wilson0.69

How to read these numbers

Every score on this page is explained
  1. Phonetic similarity0–1
  2. Middle-name flow0–1
  3. Sibling fit0–1
  4. Living population estimatemethod
  5. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Sources for Van

Every figure on this page is public record
  1. United States1880–2025
  2. England & Wales1996–2025
  3. Scotland1974–2020
  4. France1900–2025
  5. Norway1945–2025
  6. PronunciationCMU dictionary

Van across America

Share of 2025 births in each state. Darker means more common.
ME
WA
VT
NH
MT
ND
MN
WI
MI
NY
MA
OR
ID
SD
IA
IL
IN
OH
PA
NJ
CT
RI
NV
WY
NE
MO
KY
WV
VA
MD
DE
CA
UT
CO
KS
AR
TN
NC
DC
AZ
NM
OK
LA
MS
AL
SC
AK
TX
GA
FL
HI
raremost common

Source: US Social Security Administration, national and state name files, 2025 release, and the Office for National Statistics for England and Wales. Etymology researched and written by our editors. Living-population and median-age figures are our own estimates, described in the methodology.