Ivan
Feminine · “God is gracious”
Ivan is given to boys far more often — 150,137 boys against 650 girls since 1880. See Ivan as a boy name
Ivan is the Russian form of the commonest name in Christendom, and American records treat it as a name of its own rather than as a variant of the English one. It is also the name Russian folk tales give to their least promising hero, who wins anyway.
How old is the name Ivan?
Ivan first appears in US birth records in 1914 — 111 years ago. The typical Ivan alive today was born around 1986, making them about 39 years old. About 500 people named Ivan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
When was the name Ivan most popular?
Ivan peaked in 1928, reaching #2381 nationally. See the whole 1928 chart.
Lists built from the same records:
Where it comes from
From Yohanan to Ivan
The story of Ivan
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. The pattern is so consistent that it is one of the recognized types in folklore indexes, and it had a long afterlife: Tolstoy wrote a story about him, and the figure has been read ever since as a comment on cleverness — the tales reward the person who is decent and unambitious rather than the one who is capable. Whether that is a national self-portrait or a wish is a question Russians have asked about their own stories for a very long time.
Meaning
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.
How the name formed
- Yohanan
- Ioannes
- Ivan
Related forms: Иван · Iván · John · Ivan
Pronouncing 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.
Nicknames for Ivan
Moderate
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
- 1914
- Most girls named
- 199020 — the highest on record
- Peak rank
- #2381reached in 1928
- Change vs 2017
- −14.3%6 in 2020, from 7
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.
Ivan in other languages
The same name elsewhere
- Иван in Russian — same name
- Iván in Spanish — same name
- John in English — same name
- Ivan in Czech — same name
Ivans among us
people named Ivan are estimated to be alive in the US today
Estimated from SSA birth records and published actuarial life tables. Method
Is it right for you
Questions parents actually ask
Fashion outlook
Ivan 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 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.
- 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.
Nobody names a baby alone.
Put Ivan 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 Ivan? Hide it among decoys and let them guess.
What they receive
Someone added a name to your list
Ivan
Feminine
Frequently asked
- How many Ivans are there in the world?
- No country counts the world's names, so there is no worldwide figure — anyone quoting one is estimating. About 500 people named Ivan are estimated to be alive in the US today.
- How popular is the name Ivan in 2025?
- Ivan is rarely given in the US today — it does not rank in the top 2000 girl names.
- Will my child share the name Ivan with classmates?
- Ivan will almost certainly be the only one in school.
More I names
The most-given names starting with I, all years combined.
Isabella#7 · Irene#651 · Ida#1120 · Isabel#176 · Isabelle#166 · Iris#61 · Ivy#39 · Irma#3167
Looking for what else is popular rather than what resembles Ivan? See the current top 100.
Choosing between Ivan 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