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:

Given name

 * 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 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 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 Garg, one of Gargamel’s incarnations and the final antagonist appearing in The Smurfs
 * Van Flyheight, from the anime Zoids: Chaotic Century
 * Van Hohenheim, from the Fullmetal Alchemist franchise; see List of Fullmetal Alchemist characters
 * 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