What is Vincent van Gogh's full birth name?

Vincent Willem van Gogh is Vincent van Gogh’s full birth name. He was born on 30 March 1853 in Groot-Zundert, in the Dutch province of North Brabant.

The name Vincent had family significance. Van Gogh was named after his grandfather, Vincent van Gogh, and after a stillborn older brother who had been born exactly one year before him. He was the oldest surviving child of Theodorus van Gogh, a Dutch Reformed minister, and Anna Cornelia Carbentus.

Van Gogh is usually known simply as Vincent van Gogh, but the middle name Willem appears in biographical records and in the artist’s full name. It should not be confused with the name of his nephew, Vincent Willem van Gogh, who later inherited the artist’s estate and helped establish the Van Gogh Museum foundation.

Another common mistake is to replace Willem with names associated with other relatives or imagined middle names. Johannes, Paul, and Theodore are not part of the painter’s documented birth name.