> like in von Beethoven, where the von is kind of equivalent to the English
> `lord' (it also means `of' but if I do not err, Beethoven was not a von
> Beethoven all of his life). I would prefer to find him underneath B.
I believe it was actually `Ludwig van Beethoven' even though he was
German, not Dutch.
The German `von' is the normal word for `of' or `from' and carries
aristocratic connotations in a name, just as `Reginald of Kent' does and
Reginald Kent does not, especially if it is `Graf von' (`Count of') or
something similar.
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Phillip Helbig Email ... [log in to unmask]
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