Boy name origins & meanings
- Russian : God is gracious
- Hebrew : God's grace
What does Ivan mean and stand for?
The name Ivan is of Russian origin and means "God is gracious." It is a newer version of the Slavic name Ioannu, which was derived from the Greek name Ioannes (John). Various Russian rulers were named Ivan, giving the name some popularity.
Syllables: 2
Boy name variations
How Popular Is The Name Ivan
Family name origins & meanings
- Romanian, Hungarian (Iván), and Slovak : from the personal name Ivan, eastern Slavic form of John. It may also be a shortened form of a Slovenian or Croatian patronymic derived from the personal name Ivan (i.e. Slovenian Ivanc, Ivančič, or Ivanjko; Croatian Ivančić, Ivanić, Ivančević).
Famous people who gave their babies this name
Popularity
According to Social Security Administration data, Ivan has jumped around quite a bit over the years, but seems to be on a downward trend lately. Despite this trend, it's remained in the top 200 since 2000. Ivan was at its peak position in 2012 at rank 113.
However, it is the 9th most popular name on FamilyEducation.com.
According to Google search data analysis, in the last five years Ivan was at its peak popularity in August 2020.
Ivan has slowly moved away from invoking the image of Ivan the Terror. Instead, notable namesakes such as Ivan Pavlov, Ivan Lendl, Ivan Bunin, and Ivan Dodig. It's also been a popular choice in pop culture, appearing in The One and Only Ivan, Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends, One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, and "Ivan the Fool" to name a few.
Where is it Popular?
Ivan was searched for most often in the following states:
Nicknames for Ivan
- Ive
- Vin
Pairs well with these middle names