Von in proper names, generally means "of" and indeed is a part of the name of a majority of German nobility. However the presence of "von" by no means indicates the bearer to be of noble ancestry nor does its absence indicate non-nobility. There are a small number of noble houses, almost exclusively of the Uradel (ancient nobility), which have never used the "von" or any other noble predicate.
In some parts of Germany there are a substantial number of old families whose members use the "von" as designations of the towns where they come from, but these families have never been noble and make no pretense to be so.
The traditional practice in German telephone books is a person named, for instance, von Richthofen would be listed under a "R" for Richthofen rather than a "v" for "von".
A few noble houses use "von und zu", meaning they are not only from the place mentioned but still retain it. An Uradel house is named "aus dem Winckel" instead of "von dem Winckel" but having the same meaning. Other noble predicates sometimes seen are "von dem", "von der", or "vom".
"Van" is not used by German nobles but is Dutch or Flemish and does not usually connote nobility in those countries.
As a way of differentiating themselves from non-nobles, the aristocracy of northern Germany in most cases uses the abbreviation "v.", instead of writing out the "von", while still pronouncing the whole word. The southern Germans most often write out the "von". It is always spelled with a small "v" unless it would be grammatically incorrect, such as in the beginning of a sentence.
Those persons who claim nobility through adoption or purchase, such as Claus von Bülow, the Nazi foreign minister von Ribbentrop, or Zsa-Zsa Gabor's husband or Erich von Stroheim (who styled himself Count Erich Oswald Hans Carl Maria von Stroheim) are not recognized as part of the historical nobility.
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Last updated: 02-08-2005 04:31:24
