{{other uses}} {{refimprove|date=December 2025}} {{Infobox given name | name = Ivan | image = Ivan grozny frame.jpg | caption = Ivan the Terrible, the first Tsar of all Russia, reigning from 1547 to 1584 | pronunciation = *{{IPAc-en|lang|ˈ|aɪ|.|v|ə|n|,_|ɪ|ˈ|v|ɑː|n}} *{{IPA|bg|ɪˈvan|lang}} *{{IPA|ru|ɪˈvan|lang}} *{{IPA|sh|ǐʋan|lang}} | gender = Male | feminine = Ivana | meaning = “God is Gracious" | region = | origin = Slavic (Old Church Slavonic {{Script|Cyrs|Їωан}}), derived from Greek; ultimately from Hebrew | related names = Jovan, Jan, Janez, Evan, Giovanni, Ifan, and "John" in other languages | footnotes = }} {{wiktionary|Ivan|Иван|Іван}}
'''Ivan''' ({{Cyrl|Иван}}) is a male given name of Slavic origin, related to a variant of the Greek name {{Transliteration|grc|Iōánnēs}} (English: John), which in turn derives from the Hebrew {{lang|he|יוֹחָנָן}} ({{Transliteration|he|Yôḥānnān}}), meaning "God is gracious". The name is strongly associated with Slavic countries and cultures.
Ivan is a very common name in Russia, Ukraine, Croatia, Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Slovenia, Bulgaria, Belarus, North Macedonia, and Montenegro. It has also gained popularity in several Romance-speaking countries since the 20th century.
==Etymology== Ivan is the common Slavic Latin spelling, while Cyrillic spelling is two-fold: in Bulgarian, Russian, Macedonian, Serbian and Montenegrin it is {{lang|ru|Иван}}, while in Belarusian and Ukrainian it is {{lang|uk|Іван}}. The Old Church Slavonic (or Old Cyrillic) spelling is {{Script|Cyrs|Їѡан}}.
Ivan is the Slavic relative of the Latin name {{lang|la|Johannes}}, corresponding to English ''John'' and originates from New Testament Greek {{lang|grc|Ἰωάννης}} ({{transliteration|grc|Iōánnēs}}). The Greek name is in turn derived from Hebrew יוֹחָנָן ({{Transliteration|he|Yôḥānān}}), meaning "YHWH (God) is gracious". The name is ultimately derived from the Biblical Hebrew name {{lang|he|יוחנן}} ({{IPA|he|joχanan|pron}}), short for {{lang|he|יהוחנן}} ({{IPA|he|jehoχanan|pron}}), meaning "God was merciful". Common patronymics derived from the name are Ivanović (Serbian and Croatian), Ivanov (Russian and Bulgarian), and Ivanovich (Russian, used as middle name), corresponding to "Ivan's son".
==Popularity== The name is common among Russians, Ukrainians, Belarusians, Bulgarians, Croats, Slovenes, Macedonians, Serbs, Bosnians, Montenegrins, and to a smaller extent Czechs<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.behindthename.com/names/usage/czech|title = Czech Names – Behind the Name}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.kdejsme.cz/jmeno/Ivan/hustota/|title=Jméno: 'Ivan', počet výskytů 23197 v celé ČR|publisher=Kdejsme.cz|language=cs|year=2016}}</ref> and Slovaks.
Ivan is the most common male name in Bulgaria (as of 2013)<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.nsi.bg/sites/default/files/files/pressreleases/Names2014p_JDYA1PO.pdf | title=Имената в България през 2014 година (Предварителни данни)| work=nsi.bg | language=bg|date= 26 July 2013 | access-date=26 July 2013}}</ref> and Croatia (as of 2013).<ref>{{cite web | url=http://www.jutarnji.hr/zene-po-prvi-put-u-hrvatskoj-bolje-obrazovane-od-muskaraca-vise-od-pola-hrvata-mladih-od-50-zna-se-sluziti-internetom/1116540/ | title=ŽENE U HRVATSKOJ PO PRVI PUT BOLJE OBRAZOVANE OD MUŠKARACA Koliko Hrvata ima e-mail, a koliko ne zna ni čitati? | work=Jutarnji list | language=hr | date=26 July 2013 | access-date=26 July 2013 | archive-date=13 March 2016 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160313020319/http://www.jutarnji.hr/zene-po-prvi-put-u-hrvatskoj-bolje-obrazovane-od-muskaraca-vise-od-pola-hrvata-mladih-od-50-zna-se-sluziti-internetom/1116540/ | url-status=dead }}</ref> In Serbia, it was the 9th most common male name in the period of 1971–1980; 6th in 1981–1990; 9th in 1991–2000.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://webrzs.stat.gov.rs/WebSite/public/PublicationView.aspx?pKey=41&pLevel=1&pubType=2&pubKey=1502|publisher=Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia|title=Најчешћа имена и презимена|year=2011|language=sr|access-date=2013-12-03|archive-date=2015-12-08|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208130231/http://webrzs.stat.gov.rs/WebSite/public/PublicationView.aspx?pKey=41&pLevel=1&pubType=2&pubKey=1502|url-status=dead}}</ref> It is also the 6th most common name in Slovenia.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ivan Name Meaning, Origins & Popularity |url=https://forebears.io/forenames/ivan |access-date=2023-02-18 |website=forebears.io}}</ref>
In Croatia, with over thirty thousand namesakes, the name Ivan was the most popular between 1930 and 1940, and waned in popularity from 2003 to 2013.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://actacroatica.com/en/name/Ivan/|title = Name Ivan @ Acta Croatica}}</ref> The name Ivan was the most common masculine given name until 1959, and between 1980 and 1999.<ref>{{Croatian Census 2011|N|tabid=30|tabname=Most frequent male and female given names by year of birth}}</ref>
Since the 20th century, it is becoming more popular in the Romance-speaking world; Italian (both the original form and the italianized version, ''Ivano''), Spanish (as ''Iván''), and Portuguese (sometimes ''Ivã'').
''Ivan'' (pl. ''die Ivans'') was also occasionally used by various parties during World War II as a general name for the Soviets.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.smh.com.au/news/obituaries/exceptional-voice-of-the-bear-from-berlin/2008/04/24/1208743144542.html|title=Exceptional voice of the bear from Berlin|date=25 April 2008}}</ref>
==Forms==
Its female forms are ''Ivana'' (West and South Slavic) and ''Ivanna'' (East Slavic), while ''Ivanka'' and ''Iva'' are diminutives by origin. Slavic male diminutives (including historical) are Vanya or Vanja, Ivaniš, Ivanko, Ivanča, Ivanče, Ivashka, Ivashko, Ivanushka, etc. A shorter form of the name is Ivo.
== See also == *List of people with given name Ivan *List of storms named Ivan *Template:John-surname lists surnames derived from the given name and its variants
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{given name}}
Category:Slavic masculine given names Category:Bosnian masculine given names Category:Bulgarian masculine given names Category:Croatian masculine given names Category:Masculine given names Category:Czech masculine given names Category:Macedonian masculine given names Category:Russian masculine given names Category:Serbian masculine given names Category:Slovene masculine given names Category:Slovak masculine given names Category:Swedish masculine given names Category:Ukrainian masculine given names