What does the "von" in Polish (Kazubin) surnames mean/stand for?

My 2nd great grandfather's surname was v. or von Wantoch Rekowski. They were from Rekowo in the Kashubian region of Poland. I interviewed a sister of my great grandmother and she is the one who gave me this information. My second great grandfather shortened the name to Wantoch at the advice of a banker from whom he was applying for a loan for his farm. My great grandmother's sister also said that their father would tell them all the time about the name and how they should be proud of it, etc. but she said the kids didn't care. They were first generation Americans and just wanted to fit in and not be different. She told me they spoke Kashubian and not High Polish and so were even teased about that at the Polish Catholic school they went to .

She did not know what the von Wantoch Rekowski meant. I know that this was his name as I have a photocopy of his baptismal document and that is his full name and his father's name is also v. Wantoch Rekowski. When he came to the US, Poland was not a country. They were part of Prussia at the time. I also have his wedding document (married here in the states) and he signed his name von Wantoch Rekowski.

Thanks
Rik

Von is German for "from"; it is used normally for nobility or ex nobility (counts, dukes..)

For example, (Heinrich Alfred Hermann) Walther von Brauchitsch (German general). The Brauchitsch family, which originally came from Silesia, from the Silesian village of Chrustenik

Manfred Georg Rudolf von Brauchitsch (15 August 1905 - 5 February 2003) was a German auto racing driver.

Both had Slavic roots

It's rarely a sign of nobility. Most of the time, it's simply an indicator describing where a person came from or was born. Has to do with the development of family names.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Von