Where does “van” come from?
van (Middle High German) comes from Old High German fano, from Proto-West Germanic *fanō, from Proto-Germanic fanô, from Proto-Indo-European pān- — fabric.
Ancestry of “van”, step by step
| Step | Language | Word | Meaning |
|---|
| 1 | Old High German | fano | flag |
| 2 | Proto-West Germanic | *fanō | — |
| 3 | Proto-Germanic | fanô | cloth; dook/duck; banner; flag |
| 4 | Proto-Indo-European | pān- | fabric |