Von

Where Von comes from

Von hasn't made it into the dictionaries we draw on, and nobody well known enough for an encyclopedia has carried it yet — so for now its story is the one the SSA record tells. Names that spell a familiar sound a new way often live here for a while before anyone writes them down.

Along the way
  1. 1898
    First appearance
    #885 among boys, 7 babies — the first year at least five got the name.
  2. 1958
    Peak, #691
    118 babies named Von — more than any year before or since.
  3. 1970
    The fade
    The first year with half the peak's births — down to #1,103.
  4. 1985
    Von Wafer born
    American basketball player
  5. 1989
    Von Miller born
    American football player
In the dictionary

No dictionary entry for this spelling — which is its own kind of rare.

Namesakes
  • Von Miller · American football player, born 1989
  • Von Wafer · American basketball player, born 1985
  • Von Flores · Canadian actor, born 1960
  • Von McDade · American basketball player, born 1967
  • Von Smith · singer, songwriter, born 1986

Sources: the origin note and dictionary entry are quoted from Wiktionary (CC BY-SA 4.0); the namesakes come from Wikidata (CC0); the milestones are worked out from the SSA record.