One of the flexibilities that many of us feel that we have in our name is
whether or not to put a space after the "n" in "van". This
flexibility seems to cause a lot of discussion, both within the family and
without.
So what is the proper way?
Because "van" originates from the Dutch word "from", the
proper way is probably to put the space in. However, anyone who has had their
name filed under "B" at the hotel, the DMV, or on a class list, soon
learns to remove the space on official forms or reservations. I find that when I
have to spell my name with all capital letters, I always use a space. That way
the reader knows that the "B" in Blaricum is to be capitalized. When I
use mixed cases, I run the "n" and "B" together so that the
name is filed properly under "v."
Any other opinions?
One other observation:
In the phone books in Holland, the "van" is not used at all. The
"v" section of the book would be way too big.
Revised: June 03, 2000