Van

Originally the Dutch preposition meaning 'of' or 'from', lifted straight off the front of aristocratic surnames and repurposed as an American first name. It also caught occasional use as an expedient clipping of Vance or Ivan. Midcentury screen and radio exposure gave it freestanding legitimacy.

The name lands like a single percussive tap. It suggests rolled-up sleeves, a transistor radio on a workbench, and very little interest in filling out long forms. It peaked in 1953, meaning a third of living holders remember black-and-white television sets as new technology. It remains brisk enough to avoid feeling musty.