What is the meaning of Van Der?

"Van der" is a Dutch preposition meaning "of the" or "from the". It's often used in Dutch surnames, indicating that the person is from a particular place, similar to the English "of" or "from".

Here are some examples:

* Van der Meer: From the lake.

* Van der Linden: From the linden tree.

* Van der Valk: From the valley.

The "der" part is a contraction of "de" and "er", where "de" is the definite article ("the") and "er" indicates location.

It's important to note that while "Van der" is often used in surnames, it can also be used in other contexts as a preposition. For example, you might hear "Van der dag" which means "of the day" or "van der week" which means "of the week".