Head to head · Boys' names
Elliott vs Ivan
#160 vs #162 in 2025 · both holding its place on the charts
Elliott is a whisker ahead (#160 vs #162 in 2025) and both are holding its place on the charts. The records will not split these two — sound, story and your own last name will.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
The tale of the tape
The tape is even: Elliott and Ivan each lead 2 measures of 6.
Ranks, counts and years are measured in the official US birth record; the classroom and living figures are estimates computed from it. The dot marks the side each measure favours on the charts — more common, not better.
What the records say
146 years of US births, drawn on one scale
Two curves, one scale
Who owned which decade
- 1880s: Elliott #413, Ivan #321 — Ivan higher
- 1890s: Elliott #383, Ivan #231 — Ivan higher
- 1900s: Elliott #396, Ivan #211 — Ivan higher
- 1910s: Elliott #427, Ivan #188 — Ivan higher
- 1920s: Elliott #435, Ivan #185 — Ivan higher
- 1930s: Elliott #429, Ivan #213 — Ivan higher
- 1940s: Elliott #389, Ivan #281 — Ivan higher
- 1950s: Elliott #475, Ivan #316 — Ivan higher
- 1960s: Elliott #500, Ivan #302 — Ivan higher
- 1970s: Elliott #526, Ivan #279 — Ivan higher
- 1980s: Elliott #391, Ivan #218 — Ivan higher
- 1990s: Elliott #455, Ivan #162 — Ivan higher
- 2000s: Elliott #451, Ivan #132 — Ivan higher
- 2010s: Elliott #227, Ivan #133 — Ivan higher
- 2020s: Elliott #164, Ivan #158 — Ivan higher
Ivan stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Elliott | Ivan |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #413 | #321 |
| 1890s | #383 | #231 |
| 1900s | #396 | #211 |
| 1910s | #427 | #188 |
| 1920s | #435 | #185 |
| 1930s | #429 | #213 |
| 1940s | #389 | #281 |
| 1950s | #475 | #316 |
| 1960s | #500 | #302 |
| 1970s | #526 | #279 |
| 1980s | #391 | #218 |
| 1990s | #455 | #162 |
| 2000s | #451 | #132 |
| 2010s | #227 | #133 |
| 2020s | #164 | #158 |
Average national rank across each decade. A dash means the name sat outside the recorded top of that decade.
The names themselves
Meaning, roots, sound and the people who carried each
Where each name comes from
Elliott
From a medieval English form of Elias — that is, Elijah, Hebrew for "my God is Yahweh"
The main line is clear: the surname Elliott comes from Elyot/Eliot, a medieval English pet form of Elias, the Greek and Latin spelling of Elijah. A smaller share of Elliott families trace instead to the Old English personal name Ælfwald, "elf-ruler." Both routes are documented, and a given Elliott today can honestly claim either.
Eliyahu → Elias → Elyot → Eliot → Elliott
How it traveled
Elijah reached western Europe as Elias, through the Greek translation of the Hebrew Bible and then the Latin one, and medieval English speakers clipped and softened it into Elyot. Names like that hardened into hereditary surnames in England and along the Scottish border, where Elliot became one of the great riding-clan names of the frontier country.
Ivan
God is gracious
From the Hebrew name meaning God has been gracious, through Greek and Church Slavonic. The Slavic languages took it from the Byzantine form rather than the Latin one, which is why it begins with a vowel where the western forms begin with a consonant.
Yohanan → Ioannes → Ivan
How it traveled
Russian folk tales keep giving the kingdom to the youngest of three brothers, and they call him the fool. Ivan the Fool lies on the stove, does no work, is despised by his clever brothers, and then succeeds at the impossible task because he is kind to an animal or an old woman the others ignored.
Where a reading is contested the note says so — this page does not turn a guess into a fact. The chain is each name's recorded forms, oldest first; the story is its opening, told in full on the name's own page.
Out loud, and in short
Elliott
EL-ee-ut
Stress on the first syllable. All three spellings — Elliott, Elliot, Eliot — are said the same way, and the final syllable is a light "ut," not "ott."
- Eli — The most common short form, and a fully established given name in its own right, so an Elliott who uses it will meet others who were christened Eli.
- Ell — Informal, family-and-friends use; works equally for a boy or a girl.
- Ellie — Used mainly for girls named Elliott; almost always informal.
- Elliott — Frequently used in full, including in casual speech — the name resists shortening more than most three-syllable names.
Ivan
ee-VAHN
Two syllables with the stress at the back in Russian and in Spanish. American English often says EYE-vun instead, which is a noticeably different name.
- Vanya — The standard Russian familiar form, used for men of any age by family and friends.
- Van — The back of the name, and a short form that travels easily in English.
Who has carried each name
Elliott
Elliott Smith (b. 1969) — Indie songwriting legend ("Miss Misery")
Elliott Gould (b. 1938) — M*A*S*H star
Ivan
Ivan Pavlov (b. 1849) — The scientist of Pavlov's dogs
Ivan Turgenev (b. 1818) — Wrote Fathers and Sons
Ivan the Terrible (b. 1530) — The first tsar of Russia
Source: Wikidata — the one source on this page that is not an official agency.
Is it right for you
The differences that decide it, laid out by what you want
Choose by what you want
Choose Elliott if you want…
- a name with more sound in itElliott runs 3 syllables, Ivan 2
- plenty of nickname options4 recorded short forms — Eli, Ell and Ellie
Choose Ivan if you want…
- a name with fewer syllablesIvan is 2 syllables to Elliott's 3
Each line is a measured difference between the two names — a rank, a count, a recorded form — never a judgement of either. Save the one that answers your question; it lands on your shortlist.
The trade-offs, name by name
Elliott
Strengths
- An unbroken presence in American records since counting began, without ever spiking into a fashion — the curve beside you is unusually level for a name this familiar.
- Instantly recognizable and easy to say on first hearing, with no pronunciation to teach anyone.
- Eli is a ready-made short form that stands on its own, so the name comes with a built-in casual register.
To consider
- Three spellings compete — Elliott, Elliot, Eliot — and all three are legitimate. Expect a lifetime of "two Ls and two Ts," and of mail arriving with one of each.
- For a girl, this is the same surname traveling the other way rather than a separate name, and most people will assume a boy on paper. That is workable, but worth deciding on deliberately rather than being surprised by it.
- The short form Eli sits in a crowded neighborhood with Eli, Elijah and Elias, so an Elliott who goes by Eli may not be the only one in the room even if the full name is.
Ivan
Strengths
- It is a standing name in a dozen languages rather than an invention.
- The meaning is documented and the descent is unbroken.
- It works in Russian, Spanish and English households without adjustment.
To consider
- The English and Slavic readings move the stress, so the name is said two ways.
- Iven and Ivon will both be written for it.
- The record holds this spelling for daughters as well, though almost never.
Documented properties of each name — how it spells, travels and shortens — not opinions about the child.
With your last name
Say both in full. The notes are facts about letters and sound — a rhyme, a shared initial, the monogram — not a verdict on either name.
Type a last name to hear Elliott and Ivan in full.
Weighing the whole shortlist? Run the full comparison — up to eight names with your last name, initials, classroom projections and a printable report.
Decide together
Nobody names a baby alone
Still torn between Elliott and Ivan?
Put both to the vote.
One link to your partner, your parents, your sister. Each of them gets the two names, a one-tap answer and room to say why — and every reply lands in one place.
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More than two in the running? Settle it with a bracket or run the full comparison with your last name.
More head-to-heads
Same measures, different pair. Sixty more are dealt daily in the arena.
Lists that carry both names
Every list here names both Elliott and Ivan — the same style, ranked by the same records.
Elliott or Ivan — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Elliott or Ivan?
- Elliott, in 2025: Elliott ranked #160 with 2,287 babies; Ivan ranked #162 with 2,240 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Elliott or Ivan?
- Neither is rising. Over the last five years Elliott moved down 2 places; Ivan moved down 9 places.
- Which is the older name, Elliott or Ivan?
- The US record cannot say: both were already in use when it began in 1880.
- How many people are named Elliott and Ivan?
- About 54,000 people named Elliott are estimated to be alive in the US today. About 124,000 people named Ivan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- Will there be other Elliotts or Ivans in the classroom?
- Elliott will almost certainly be the only one in school. Ivan will almost certainly be the only one in school.
US figures from the Social Security Administration, 1880–2025. Votes are battle voters on this site, not the birth record. Data & methodology
Keep playing
Sixty more head-to-heads are dealt in the arena every day — or line up Elliott, Ivan and the rest of your shortlist with your last name in one printable report.
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