Name of the Day: Ivo
If you thought Milo was a bit much, hold on to your hat!
Today’s Name of the Day is Ivo, with a thanks to Dearest for the suggestion.
Ivo may be a mere three letters long, but everyone of those three packs a punch:
- Nameberry recently highlighted fashion-forward I names, from Iris to Indigo;
- Nameberry also asked if v is the new z, citing the meteoric rise of Ava, as well as favorites like Olivia and Evan;
- That -o ending, from mainstream Leo to the quirkier Milo and Philo continues to attract parents.
He’s also an obscure saints’ name, putting him in the company of hipster boy choices like Rufus. And while your sons’ teachers might not recognize the name, your sons’ playmates just might – there’s a Thomas the Tank Engine character called Ivo Hugh.
His exact origins are subject to debate:
- Ivo can be considered a pet form of Ivan – and thus linked to John;
- He could be a form of Ives or Yves, linked to the Germanic iwo – yew, the evergreen tree. That’s no mere nature name. Yews were linked to the afterlife in ancient tradition, and are still often found near churches and cemeteries. They are also a traditional material for crafting longbows. Writers from Shakespeare to JK Rowling have referenced the yew tree.
History gives us three saints and a crusader:
- Settled since ancient times, St. Ives, Cambridgshire was originally known as Slepe. Legend has it that a Persian bishop visited in the sixth century, and managed to leave behind his bones. He’s not found on official saints’ rosters, because stories of his life come from visions reported by a local Sleppite after the coffin’s discovery;
- The eleventh century French St. Ivo of Kermartin is remembered as a lawyer and a selfless advocate for the poor;
- St. Ivo of Chartres went to prison in protest when King Philip I of France divorced his first wife for a second;
- Ivo de Grandmesnil took part in the First Crusade in 1096.
Today Ivo is undeniably international:
- The former prime minister of Croatia is Ivo Sanader;
- In 1961, Yugoslavia’s Ivo Andrić won a Nobel Prize in literature;
- South American athletes, including Ecuadorian footballer Ivo Ron and Brazilian marathoner Ivo Rodrígues, wear the name;
- Dutch politician Ivo Opstelten is the former mayor of Rotterdam;
- French actor Yves Montand was born Ivo Livi in Italy.
As for that train, Ivo Hugh ran the narrow gauge railway. After he retired, a new engine was named in his honor. Ivo Hugh is no Gordon, Percy or Thomas, but your little Ivo could have an engine bearing his name.
After all, he won’t share his moniker with anyone else. Ivo has never ranked in the US Top 1000.
Some rhyme his name with Devo, making Ivo rather close to evil – and perhaps explaining why he’s not more often used – but he’s so rare that you might also use EYE vo and sidestep the association.
If you’re looking for quirky, short and international, Ivo is one to consider.
Filed under: Global Village, Medieval Monikers, Names for Boys, Names of the Day, Nature Babes, Rarities, Saints | 12 Comments
Tags: Ava, Evan, Gordon, Hugh, Indigo, Iris, Ivan, Ives, Ivo, John, Leo, Milo, Olivia, Percy, Philo, Rufus, Thomas, Yves
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Ivan is marvelously strong without being Thief or Hammer or some dumb celebrity attempt at masculinity and I think Ivo works if you pronounce the long I. Stands in good contrast to those “sensitive sons”.
Ivo is Ee-voh for me, as Ivan is ee-Vahn, but that’s my Russian ancestry showing. I could live with Ivan as Eye-van, barely. Ivo is jauntier but eye-voh defintely makes me think evil, so while I like it and will even suggest it to others (a lot of my friends are between 22 & 36, prime childbearing years) but Ivo will never grace my lists, despite that lovely -o ending. The Mr. would make “evil” jokes if I even brought Ivo up, I just know it. Philo was hard enough to sell! And of course the lovely Rufus sits high on our boys list.
When I lived in the UK there was a running documentary on a group of children born in the year 2000 called “Child of Our Time”. Among them was a precious set of twin boys called Alex and Ivo. Ivo was hopelessly in love with his twin brother, which completely won me over both to him and to his name. They said it Eye-vo, which makes me think that’s the usual pronunciation in England, if there is a “usual” pronunciation there at all. Maybe one to run past hubby
Weird and wacky. I sure like Lorna better than Ivo. I could go for “Teo” if it was a nn for Matteo.
In general I’m not a fan of names that end in “o”. While there are a few exceptions to that rule, Ivo isn’t one of them.
Also, I pronounce the name “EYE-vo” and keep wanting to add a “t” sound to the end of the name: “I vote”.
I thought exactly the same thing about “I vote”. I’d say it “EYE-vo” too, possibly because I’m British?
It does seem like an unfinished version of Ivan to me – like it’s a little too short or something.
I like Ivo, but I LOVE Ivor, the pronunciation is just a lot clearer for me.
Well it would probably go down far better in NZ than breakfast drink Milo but I don’t really have a set opinion on Ivo. Either pronunciation works for me.
I pronounce this EE-vo, and I really like it. He is pretty cool. Don’t know if I’d ever use him, though.
my boyfriends name is ivo its a bulgarian name, i call him eve…lovely
Ivo… hmmm I think it is a very interesting name. I pronounce it EE-VOH. I read a short story called “El Arbol De Oro” (The Golden Tree) by Ana Maria Matute where the main character is called Ivo.