Head to head · Boys' names
Hayes vs Ivan
#162 vs #162 in 2025
Hayes and Ivan share the same spot on the 2025 charts (#162). The records cannot split them; sound and story 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
On the charts, Ivan leads 2 measures of 6; Hayes leads 1.
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: Hayes #700, Ivan #321 — Ivan higher
- 1890s: Hayes #773, Ivan #231 — Ivan higher
- 1900s: Hayes #751, Ivan #211 — Ivan higher
- 1910s: Hayes #1002, Ivan #188 — Ivan higher
- 1920s: Hayes #1141, Ivan #185 — Ivan higher
- 1930s: Hayes #1242, Ivan #213 — Ivan higher
- 1940s: Hayes #1276, Ivan #281 — Ivan higher
- 1950s: Hayes #1573, Ivan #316 — Ivan higher
- 1960s: Hayes #2074, Ivan #302 — Ivan higher
- 1970s: Hayes #2134, Ivan #279 — Ivan higher
- 1980s: Hayes #2830, Ivan #218 — Ivan higher
- 1990s: Hayes #2145, Ivan #162 — Ivan higher
- 2000s: Hayes #1404, Ivan #132 — Ivan higher
- 2010s: Hayes #558, Ivan #133 — Ivan higher
- 2020s: Hayes #203, Ivan #158 — Ivan higher
Ivan stood higher in every recorded decade — 15 of 15.
Rank by decade
| Decade | Hayes | Ivan |
|---|---|---|
| 1880s | #700 | #321 |
| 1890s | #773 | #231 |
| 1900s | #751 | #211 |
| 1910s | #1002 | #188 |
| 1920s | #1141 | #185 |
| 1930s | #1242 | #213 |
| 1940s | #1276 | #281 |
| 1950s | #1573 | #316 |
| 1960s | #2074 | #302 |
| 1970s | #2134 | #279 |
| 1980s | #2830 | #218 |
| 1990s | #2145 | #162 |
| 2000s | #1404 | #132 |
| 2010s | #558 | #133 |
| 2020s | #203 | #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
Hayes
"hedge, enclosure" (English) or "descendant of Aodh" (Irish)
Two well-documented origins share the spelling. The English Hayes is topographic, from Old English hæg, a hedge or fenced enclosure, used of people who lived by one. The Irish Hayes is an anglicization of Ó hAodha, from the personal name Aodh, meaning "fire" — the same root that produced the surname Hughes. Neither reading cancels the other; which one a family carries depends on where the family came from.
hæg (Old English) → atte Hay / de la Haye → Hayes
How it traveled
Both lines are surnames first. In medieval England, people recorded as atte Hay or de la Haye were identified by the hedge or enclosure they lived beside, and the name settled into Hayes.
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
Hayes
HAYZ
One syllable, rhyming with "days." The final s is voiced, like a z. Almost no one hesitates over it on first reading.
- Hay — The only natural clipping; used informally within families rather than as a standalone given name.
- H — Initial-as-nickname, common among schoolmates and teammates for one-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
Hayes
No documented entry for Hayes yet.
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 Hayes if you want…
- a name on the way upup 83 places on the charts in five years
- a name with fewer syllablesHayes is 1 syllable to Ivan's 2
Choose Ivan if you want…
- a name holding steadyIvan is holding its place on the charts
- a name with more sound in itIvan runs 2 syllables, Hayes 1
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
Hayes
Strengths
- One syllable and one obvious pronunciation — people say it right the first time and rarely ask again.
- A spelling already familiar to Americans as a surname, so it looks like a real name on a form rather than an invention.
- Two separate documented heritages, English and Irish, which lets a family claim whichever line is actually theirs.
To consider
- It is still read as a surname by many people, and Hayes as a first name is a recent American development. Expect the occasional assumption that it is your family name, especially from older generations.
- There is nowhere to go with it. Hayes is already as short as it gets, so a child who wants a nickname will have to invent one, and the closest option, Hay, doesn't do much.
- Hays, Haze and Hayes all sound identical aloud, so spelling it out over the phone will be a lifelong small habit.
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 Hayes 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 Hayes 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 these names appear on
- Southern charm: names the South loves best
- One-syllable names: said in a single beat
- Five-letter names, the comfortable middle
- Presidential surnames as first names
- all guides
Where Hayes and Ivan each sit in the library — alternatives in the same style, ranked by the same records.
Hayes or Ivan — the short answers
- Which is more popular, Hayes or Ivan?
- They tie in 2025: Hayes ranked #162 with 2,240 babies; Ivan ranked #162 with 2,240 babies.
- Which name is rising faster, Hayes or Ivan?
- Hayes. Over the last five years Hayes moved up 83 places; Ivan moved down 9 places.
- Which is the older name, Hayes or Ivan?
- The US record cannot say: both were already in use when it began in 1880.
- How many people are named Hayes and Ivan?
- About 19,500 people named Hayes 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 Hayess or Ivans in the classroom?
- Hayes 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
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