Van (given name)

Van is a masculine given name and nickname, sometimes a short form of Evan, Ivan, Vance, or the feminine Vanessa. It may refer to:

People

Given name

• Van Conner (1967-2023), American musician
• Van Alexander (1915–2015), American bandleader, arranger and composer
• Van T. Barfoot (1919–2012), American Army officer, Medal of Honor recipient
• Van D. Bell (1918–2009), American Marine officer, recipient of two Navy Crosses
• Van Fillinger, American football player
• Van Green (born 1951), American football player
• Van Johnson (1916–2008), American actor
• Van Johnson (racing driver) (1927–1959), American racing driver
• Van Miller (1927–2015), American sports announcer
• Van Lingle Mungo (1911–1985), American baseball player
• Van Nelson (born 1945), American long-distance runner
• Van Patrick (1916–1974), American sportscaster
• Van Snider (born 1963), American baseball player
• Van Tiffin (born 1965), American football placekicker
• Van Van Wey (1924–1991), former NASCAR driver
• Van Winitsky (born 1959), American tennis player

Nickname

• Van Braxton, 21st century American politician
• Van Cliburn (1934–2013), American pianist
• Ivan R. Gates (1890–1932), American aviator and entrepreneur, founder of the barnstorming Gates Flying Circus
• Van Hansis (born 1981), American actor
• Van Heflin (1908–1971), American actor
• Van Jefferson (born 1996), American football player
• Van Jones (born 1968), American news commentator and activist
• Van Morrison (born 1945), Northern Irish singer, songwriter, musician and producer
• Willard Van Orman Quine (1908–2000), American philosopher and logician

Fictional characters

• Van, from the Pixar film Cars; see List of Cars characters
• Van, from the PlayStation game Chrono Cross; see Characters of Chrono Cross
• Van, from the anime Gun X Sword; see List of Gun Sword characters
• Van Arkride, from the Trails series
• Van Fanel, from the anime The Vision of Escaflowne; see List of The Vision of Escaflowne characters
• Van Flyheight, from the anime Zoids: Chaotic Century
• Van Garg, one of Gargamel's incarnations and the final antagonist appearing in The Smurfs
• Van Hohenheim, from the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise; see List of Fullmetal Alchemist characters
• Van Kleiss from Generator Rex
• Van Montgomery, from the TV series Reba; see List of Reba characters
• Van Veen, main character of Vladimir Nabokov's Ada or Ardor: A Family Chronicle
• Van Wilder, protagonist of the film National Lampoon's Van Wilder
• Van Yamano (Ban Yamano in the Japanese version), a main protagonist from the game and anime Little Battlers Experience
• Vanessa ‘Van’ Palmer, a character on the TV Series Yellowjackets