boy's name
Ivan
EE-van
- Origin Hebrew
- Gender Boy
- Syllables 2
- Letters 4
- Popularity Top 1000 (US)
- Births on record 169,715
the United States
#163
2025 births
Ivan is a boy's name of Hebrew origin meaning "God is gracious." It is the Slavic form of John, from Yohanan, and has been the most-given men's name across Russia and much of eastern Europe for centuries.
- Ivan is a name of Hebrew origin.
- Peaked in 2004, when 3,479 babies were given the name.
- Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
- Today about 1 in 1,480 babies in the United States is given this name.
- 2 syllables, with the stress on syllable 1.
Ivan over time
Births per decade in the United States, 1880s to 2020s. The striped bar is the 2020s, still in progress — it covers 2020 to 2025, not a full ten years.
Show the numbers
| Decade | Births |
|---|---|
| 1880s | 292 |
| 1890s | 571 |
| 1900s | 829 |
| 1910s | 4,967 |
| 1920s | 7,691 |
| 1930s | 5,798 |
| 1940s | 4,890 |
| 1950s | 5,350 |
| 1960s | 6,399 |
| 1970s | 7,078 |
| 1980s | 11,410 |
| 1990s | 20,665 |
| 2000s | 30,810 |
| 2010s | 29,951 |
| 2020s (to 2025) | 14,086 |
What Ivan means
Ivan means God is gracious, inherited from John. The Hebrew Yohanan pairs a shortened form of the divine name with hanan, gracious — making the name a statement about God rather than a description of the child.
Where Ivan comes from
Ivan is the Russian, Ukrainian, Bulgarian and Serbo-Croat form of the Hebrew Yohanan, reaching Slavic languages through Greek rather than Latin, which is why it keeps the initial vowel that Latin dropped in Johannes. It was so common in Russia that Ivan became a generic term for a Russian man, as Jack did for an Englishman. Ivan IV, the first crowned tsar, is known in English as Ivan the Terrible — a translation that misleads: grozny means awe-inspiring or formidable rather than wicked.
Ivan in use
Our data shows Ivan stable, peaking in 2004, and it first appears in our records in 1880 and has never dropped out. It is one of at least eight forms of John on this site — with Juan, Evan, Sean, Jack, Jax, Jenson and Yahya — which between them make John by far the most-used name in our data.
How popular is Ivan?
In 2025, Ivan was given to 2,240 babies in the United States, ranking #163 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Where Ivan is used
US figures omit any name given to fewer than five babies in a year, so the rarest names are absent from the source rather than absent from use. Data & sources.
How Ivan is spelled
Birth registers count each spelling separately, so every one has its own ranking.
| Spelling | What it is | Births on record |
|---|---|---|
| Ivàn | Ivàn is a rare spelling of Ivan, written with a grave accent and recorded about 15 times, mostly in France. | 15 |
Names that peaked alongside Ivan
These names rose and fell in the same era, which is why they tend to sound like they belong together.
Parents who like Ivan also like
Names whose popularity has risen and fallen in step with Ivan over the last century — the same taste, a different name.
1 nickname for Ivan
Each one is a name in its own right — the figure underneath is how it is doing today, so you can see which short forms are rising and which have faded.
Ivan in other languages
The same name as it is spelled elsewhere — not shortenings, and not different names that merely sound alike. Each one has its own record here.
Sibling names for Ivan
Names from the same era that won't rhyme or share an initial with Ivan — the two things that make a sibling set grate.
Common questions about Ivan
What does the name Ivan mean?
Ivan means "God is gracious," from the Hebrew Yohanan.
Are Ivan and John the same name?
Yes — Ivan is the Slavic form, reaching Russian through Greek rather than Latin.
Why is Ivan IV called the Terrible?
A misleading translation. Grozny means awe-inspiring or formidable rather than wicked.
How popular is the name Ivan?
In 2025, Ivan was given to 2,240 babies in the United States, ranking #163 that year. It is a well-established, commonly used name.
Is Ivan a girl's or a boy's name?
Ivan is given almost entirely to boys in birth records.
How many syllables are in Ivan?
Ivan has 2 syllables.
When was Ivan most popular?
Ivan peaked in 2004, when 3,479 babies were given the name. Its usage has held steady over the past decade.
What are the nicknames for Ivan?
Ivan is usually shortened to Vanya.
Is Ivan a good name?
That is not something records can settle, but they can tell you what you would be choosing. Ivan currently ranks #163 in the United States. Its usage has held steady over the past decade. Everything else — how it sounds with your surname, who it reminds you of — is yours.