Is it Peter Van Daan or Peter Van Pels?

Answer 1

Anne Frank did in fact live with the Van Pels, but used the name Van Daan in her diary. This may have been to protect their identity, we are unsure, but also we have to remember that Anne died before the diary was published, so the editors may have changed the name to protect their identity.

Answer 2

Yes. The family name is van Pels. Van Dann was a pseudonym used by Anne. In many modern publishings of the diary, most of the pseudonyms are dropped, and in all biographies of Anne written by others, as well as other scholarly works concerning Anne, the diary, and the times, none of the pseudonyms are used any longer.

Answer 3

It is Peter Van Pels. In Anne Frank's diary, she refers to him as Peter Van Pels, as this was his actual last name. The name "Peter Van Daan" was a pseudonym used in the published version of her diary.

Answer 4

Yes. The family's actual name was "van Pels", but in her diary, Anne gave them pseudonyms, such as "van Dann" for "van Pels".