Ivan

Russian variation of John

"God is gracious"

Ivan Origin and Meaning

The name Ivan is a boy's name of Russian origin meaning "God is gracious".

Though some might find it a bit heavy-booted, Ivan is one of the few Russian boys' names to become fully accepted into the American naming pool.

Ivan is, of course, ubiquitous in Russian culture. There is one of the brothers in The Brothers Karamazov, the protagonists of Tolstoy's The Death of Ivan Ilyich, and Solzhenitsyn's One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich, and the title character in Chekhov's Uncle Vanya. Real life Ivans include writer Turgnenev, biologist Pavlov, tennis player Lendl, and rulers Ivan the Great and --oops--Ivan the Terrible. Vanya is his warm and appealing nickname.

Ivan Rank in US Top 1000

# 153 in the US

Ivan Rank in Nameberry Top 1000

# 285 on Nameberry

Popularity of the name Ivan

• 153 US 2023
• 285 Nameberry 2025
• 139 Future 2028
• 305 England 2023
• 288 Germany 2016
• 77 Spain 2023
• 66 Portugal 2014
• 69 Mexico 2021
• 191 Switzerland 2023
• 191 Poland 2020
• 25 Estonia 2024
• 33 Bosnia and Herzegovina 2023
• 10 Croatia 2023
• 11 Ukraine 2022

20 Names Similar to Ivan

These 20 names were selected by our users that were looking for other names like Ivan.

• Kenneth
• Emmanuel
• Duncan
• Julien
• Marcus
• Seth
• Jeremiah
• Marco
• Raymond
• Ruben
• Malcom
• Jesse
• Rafael
• Neil
• Dominic
• Lorenzo
• Bruce
• Joel
• Julius
• Donovan

Famous People Named Ivan

• Ivan I Daniilovich Kalita Prince of Moscow
• Ivan II Ivanovich the Fair Prince of Moscow
• Ivan III Vasilyevich aka Ivan the Great Prince of Moscow
• Ivan IV Vasilyevich aka Ivan the Terrible Tsar of Russia
• Ivan Alexander Tsar of Bulgaria
• Ivan Asen I and II Tsars of Bulgaria
• Ivan Khristoforovich Bagramyan Russian WWII commander
• Ivan Lendl tennis player
• Ivan Andreyevich Bukin Russian ice dancer
• Ivan Basso Italian road bicycle racer
• Ivan Aivazovsky Russian painter
• (Ivan) Nathan Followill musician from band "Kings of Leon"
• Ivan Todorovic Serbian footballer (plays for Portugal)
• Ivan "Kuki" Kukolj Serbian singer
• Ivan Sanchez Spanish actor
• Ivan Dodig Croatian tennis player
• Ivan Petrovich Pavlov renowned Russian physiologist and Nobel Prize winner
• Ivan Bunin winner of the Nobel Prize in Literature
• Ivan Martinez Spanish YouTuber; twin brother Emilio Martinez
• Ivan Orkin American chef, creator of Ivan Ramen restaurants

The name Ivan in Pop Culture

• Ivan Braginsky personification of Russia in the manga/anime Axis Powers: Hetalia
• "The One and Only Ivan" novel by Katherine Applegate
• Ivan Alexeev character in film "Tapeheads"
• Ivan character in animated series "Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends"
• "Ivan the Fool " short story by Leo Tolstoy
• Ivan Vanko villain in "The Invincible Iron" comics
• Ivan Denisovich Shukhov title character in Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn's "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich"
• Ivan character in video game "Golden Sun"
• Ivan Vassilevich Lomov character in Anton Chekhov's "A Marriage Proposal"
• Ivan Raidenovich Raikov character in video game "Metal Gear Solid 3: Snake Eater"
• "The Death of Ivan Ilyich " novel by Leo Tolstoy
• Ivan Karamazov character in Fyodor Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov"
• Ivan doorman in 2006 film "Curious George"
• Ivan Veen main character in Vladimir Nabokov's "Ada or Ardor"
• Ivan Drago boxer in film "Rocky IV"
• Ivan Nikolayevich Ponyryov (Bezdomny) character in Mikhail Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita"
• Ivan Shawbly character on TV's "Mona the Vampire"
• Ivan character in Aphmau's YouTube series
• Ivan Bruel character in "Miraculous: Tales of Ladybug & Cat Noir"
• Ivan a vampire in the French online visual novel Moonlight Lovers

International Variations of the name Ivan

• Vanusha Russian
• Eyvind Irish Gaelic
• Vanya Russian
• Vána Czech
• Yvan Breton
• Ioann Russian
• Vánuska Czech
• Iwan Welsh
• Eyvan Irish Gaelic
• Ivánek Czech