What does "Van" in Holland last names means? For example, Van Persie, Van Bommel, Van Halen.

The Dutch prefix "van," commonly used in last names, means "of" or "from." In some cases, "van" can indicate that a person is from a noble family, but this mostly occurs with last names from Belgium.

"Van" is a preposition found in the Dutch and Afrikaans languages. It appears in names from all Dutch-speaking countries, such as the Netherlands, Belgium, and Suriname. It's also commonly found in last names from South Africa, Namibia, and several other countries in southern Africa, because Afrikaans is spoken by many people there.

"Van" can be capitalized or lower case when it appears in surnames. It can appear alone or with another prefix, such as "van den," "van der," "van de," "van het," or "van t". Names with "van" in them usually refer to a specific geographic place. For example, Van Halen actually means "from Halle." Otherwise, it often means "of the family" or "from the family of." "Van" can also be used as a first name, usually for males.

On Saturday, June 9, 2012 at Euro 2012, the Netherlands was upset by Denmark 1-0. Midfielder and team captain Mark van Bommel was shocked by the result, stating "I'm standing here a little bit speechless."