Hilma af klint was an aristocrat

the “af” is analagous to a “von” in the name

she came from a nautical family; her famiky became nobility in the 1700s in recognition of one member’s naval successes. Some of her relatives were also cartographers.

Hilma af Klint by Julia Voss:

her status designated by the two letters between her first and last names—af is the Swedish equivalent of the German von, a marker of nobility.