Ivan

Meaning: God is gracious
Origin: Russian (from Hebrew via Greek and Slavic)

Boy's name · #163 in the US (2025) · 2010s wave

Popularity over time

Ivan reached #113 in 2012 and has eased to #163 since. About 150,000 boys have carried it since 1880. In all that time it has never once missed a year of the national records.

Across the states

See where Ivan is more common.

Appears in 2020-2025 birth records of 47 states. See the full state-by-state map on this page.

Around the world

Ivan is especially popular in Croatia.

#6 in Croatia (2025) · #34 in Bosnia (FBiH) (2025) · #71 in Mexico (2024) · #75 in Spain (2024) · #104 in Slovenia (2025) · #165 in Austria (2025) · #167 in Ecuador (2025) · #173 in Poland (2025) · #192 in Puerto Rico (2025) · #208 in Switzerland (2025) · #235 in Norway (2025) · #252 in Netherlands (2025) and 9 more.

Famous Ivans

Ivan Turgenev — Russian writer (1818–1883)
Ivan Bunin — Russian writer and poet (1870–1953)
Ivan Pavlov — Russian physiologist (1849–1936)
Ivan the Terrible — Tsar of all Russia from 1547 to 1584
Ivan Krylov — Russian writer (1769–1844)

In stories & tradition

Ivan Tsarevich — Russian folklore
Ivan Drago — Rocky IV (film)
Ivan the Fool — The Little Humpbacked Horse (book)

What Ivans become

Among 12,023 notable people named Ivan:

Military figures appear 3.26× more often than among typical names — e.g. Ivan Konev, Russian politician (1897–1973).

Similar names: Ivaan · Emmanuel · Lukas · Evan · Damian · Milan

Browse more boy names — popularity, trends and eras for 5,700+ American names, free.

About · Privacy Policy · Terms of Service