Iva
Masculine · “willow”
Iva is given to girls far more often — 38,397 girls against 564 boys since 1880. See Iva as a girl name
Iva is a short, old American girl's name that is also a word and a name in the Slavic languages, where iva is the willow. Its most famous American bearer was convicted of treason on flimsy evidence and pardoned by a president.
How old is the name Iva?
Iva first appears in US birth records in 1883 — 142 years ago. The typical Iva alive today was born around 1925, making them about 100 years old. Fewer than a hundred people named Iva are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
When was the name Iva most popular?
Iva peaked in 1884, reaching #764 nationally. See the whole 1884 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From iva / Ivy / Eva to Iva
The story of Iva
Iva was a familiar American girl's name long before most Slavic immigrants arrived, and there it may have grown from Ivy or Eva. In Russian, iva is the willow, and in Croatian, Czech and Bulgarian, Iva is a feminine of Ivan. Iva Toguri, an American caught in Japan when the war began, was one of several women who broadcast on Radio Tokyo and was tried after the war as Tokyo Rose; she was convicted on testimony later shown to be coerced, served six years, and received a full pardon from President Ford. The name is recorded for a few boys, but it is a girl's name almost everywhere.
Meaningscholars disagree
willow, in Slavic languages
In Russian and other Slavic languages iva is the willow, and Iva is also used as a feminine of Ivan. In older American use Iva may instead be a form of Ivy or Eva; the record does not say which.
How the name formed
- iva / Ivy / Eva
- Iva
Related forms: Iva · Iva · Iva · Iva
Pronouncing Iva
EYE-vuh
Americans usually say EYE-vuh. In Slavic languages it is EE-vah.
Nicknames for Iva
Limited
What the data says
146 years of official birth records
The long climb, and where it stands now
The same years in position rather than babies
- First recorded
- 1883
- Most boys named
- 192918 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #764reached in 1884
- Change vs 1975
- −16.7%5 in 1985, from 6
Rank is a position, a count is a headcount, and they move independently — a name can hold its rank while the number of babies behind it falls. Source: U.S. Social Security Administration.
Iva in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Iva in Croatian — same name
- Iva in Czech — same name
- Iva in Bulgarian — same name
- Iva in Russian — transliteration
Ivas among us
Fewer than a hundred people named Iva are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Iva sits outside the current charts, and that is its own kind of answer: naming cycles can only date the names they carried up. A name this rare has no decade stamped on it — it cannot go out of fashion, because it was never in.
Based on 146 years of naming cycles. How we read them
The trade-off
- It is short, old and easy to spell.
- It works across English and Slavic languages.
- It is no longer common, so a young Iva stands out.
- People will not know whether to say EYE-vuh or EE-vuh.
- Some will hear Eva or Ivy and correct it.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Iva to the vote.
Add it to a family vote or a couple’s swipe deck — the other person gets one card, a simple answer and room to say why. No app, no account for them.
Only the people you invite can see your list.
Already decided on Iva? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Iva
Masculine
Frequently asked
- How many Ivas are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. Fewer than a hundred people named Iva are estimated to be alive in the US today — a true one-of-a-kind name.
- How popular is the name Iva in 2025?
- Iva is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 boy names.
- Will my child share the name Iva with classmates?
- Iva will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More I names
The most-given names starting with I, all years combined.
Isaac#47 · Ian#83 · Isaiah#57 · Ivan#162 · Israel#315 · Ira#819 · Irving#1778 · Ismael#263
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Iva? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Iva and another name?
See them side by side — full stats, history and a gentle verdict.
Compare side by sideIn a hurry? Just pick a winner — one tap, no sign-up, and you see how everyone else voted.
Weighing a whole shortlist? Add the rest in the builder, or settle it with a bracket.
Cast your vote
Which one would you pick?
Your gut first, the numbers after — the split shows once you pick.
US figures from the Social Security Administration. 1880–2025. Data & methodology
No advertising trackers and no data sellinghow we handle your dataindependent and founder-run, about Name Battle