Ivan shares roots with John, making it an evergreen classic with a Slavic twist.
Thanks to Lola for suggesting our Baby Name of the Day – and to Tanya for requesting an update!
Ivan: Nearly Classic
Before you dismiss this name as a rarity, check out the data. As of 2017, Ivan ranked #135 for boys born in the US. That’s not a fluke; it’s hovered in the US Top 150 for all of the twenty-first century.
That’s far less common than John, Jack, or some of the other forms of the name. But it’s far from obscure.
In fact, this name is about as common as Declan, Bennett, Kai, or Kingston. It feels a little more common than you might imagine, but still not something you’ll hear every day.
Ivan: Terrible and Great
Monarchs of Bulgaria and Russia answered to the name. Two of the latter stand out: the Great and the Terrible.
The Great came along in the 1400s, and is credited with forming the basis of modern Russian. He tripled the territory under his control and broke two centuries of paying tribute to the Mongols. Over his four decade-long reign, he also renovated the Kremlin. Following his death, a bell tower was erected in his memory, and for many years, it was the city’s tallest landmark.
As for the Terrible, he came along almost a century later. Here’s an important distinction: the Russian word connotes power and achievement, rather than barbarism or incompetence. Terrible isn’t necessarily a bad thing, at least in Russia. Ivan the Formidable might be a better translation.
After all, the sixteenth century Tsar reformed the legal code and took steps towards introducing representative assemblies and a measure of self-determination for peasants in rural Russia. He opened up new trading partnerships, though ultimately international affairs would be his undoing. The ruler spent the latter half of his tenure at war, costing Russia a fortune. Ivan also quarreled with his son and heir, and fatally wounded him during an argument.
So maybe “terrible” isn’t so misplaced after all.
Ivan: Russian and Otherwise
Other notables by the name include:
- A ninth century Bulgarian hermit and saint, also known as Saint John of Rila.
- Writer Turgenev penned the masterwork Fathers and Sons in the nineteenth century.
- Athletes include tennis great Lendl and baseball player Rodriguez, better known as Pudge.
- Director Reitman is known for comedy hits, like the original Ghostbusters.
It’s often been the name of fictional villains, like Rocky’s opponent in Rocky IV, the Soviet powerhouse Ivan Drago.
Ivan: Sounds Like …
It’s pronounced with a long I sound – EYE vun – in American English – most of the time. But it’s ee VAHN in other languages, and some – like tennis legend Lendl – favor the long E version.
Notably, it’s a long E sound in Spanish, too. It sounds a little more like ee van, which could be confused for Evan – another name connected to John.
Interestingly, Ivan has had a good run in Spanish-speaking countries, reinforcing the name’s potential for international appeal.
Ivan: The One and Only
In recent years, this name feels more mainstream.
The children’s book The One and Only Ivan is a true story about a gorilla at Zoo Atlanta. I think this puts the name in the same category as Alex – strong and distinctive, but perfectly appropriate for a child, too.
It’s a name that might feel just daring enough – familiar, easily spelled and pronounced, but a little more unexpected that Jackson or John. And there’s something cosmopolitan, even dashing about this name. It should wear well on a child today, whether he’s accomplishing great things – or throwing an epic temper tantrum.
Do you know any kids called Ivan? Would you consider it mainstream, or a little more out-there?
Originally published on December 2, 2008, this post was revised substantially and re-posted on October 30, 2018.
Ruth, congratulations on #2! What great names you’ve chosen – please stop back and tell us with Ivan/Florence makes his or her debut. 🙂
In 6 weeks I will be having my second child and if it’s a boy I will be calling it Ivan. My father is called Ivan and I love the name so much. We cant think of a nicer name and there has never been much discussion about it as we both adore it. If its a girl we would like to name her Florence which has taken much longer to decide on. Its the long wait now 🙂
I like it a lot (in Russian pronunciation) and with the right last name I’d use it. I like John and practically of its forms in other languages. I wonder if any Americans upon hearing it pronounced ee-VON think of Yvonne. I don’t really make that connection though.
We considered Ivan for baby #2, had he been a boy. It makes a great sibset – Alexei and Ivan. And they’re both a twist on very traditional, classic names. He does seem to be rising, among families without any link to Russia – I’ve heard Ivan (ee VAHN) for a few small Spanish-speaking boys ’round these parts.
But Photoquilty, I was about to type “it’s not for us.” You raise a good point!
For me, the phrase almost always means there’s a deal-breaking reason. Sometimes they don’t fit with our surname or the choice reminds me of someone awful or maybe it seems like a poor fit with Alexei and Clio.
But Ivan was veto’d early for another reason. Even though Arthur and I both liked the idea, it’s too Russian. And with a (very, very, very) Polish family, that’s an issue. The Polish form of John is Jan – that didn’t seem like quite the right choice, either. We kept coming back to Nikolai, but that felt like we were trying too hard to match. And Alexei has proven tough to wear. It happened again this weekend – we stopped at a Burger King with a playground in rural Maryland on our trip back from Thanksgiving. Alexei was playing with another little boy and I fell into conversation with his mother. It went like this:
OM: What’s your son’s name?
Me: Alexei.
OM: Oh, I’m sorry. (She blushes, looks at his longish hair.) I thought he was a little boy.
Me: (Laughing.) He is. It’s a family name.
OM: Oh. And this is your daughter?
Me: This is Clio.
OM: Oh. That’s nice.
No one bats an eye in metro DC, but just a few miles farther out and my kids’ names aren’t just unusual, they’re hard to understand. Ivan is easy to handle, and I like that quality.
I like Ivan, but only the ee-VAHN pronunciation. And it has so many cute diminutives in Russian!!
Photoquilty – for me, it means exactly what it says. There are names I love more than Ivan and therefore would use them before I used Ivan, but it’s a nice name so I’d love to see it on someone else’s kid. Sometimes the name isn’t really my style but I like it objectively, like Priscilla, so again, wouldn’t use it myself but would find it interesting on someone else’s child.
Photoquilty, It means exactly that. It’s not a name I would use myself but for anyone else, awesome choice! I have a lot of names that fit that category)
Ivan is awesome. I do have him on my working list mainly because he’s one of the few family names that don’t sound too awful with the surname. I don’t mind the Eye-van pronunciation but adore the ee-VAHN one.
If you want to hear quite a few Russian names in Russian and also want to watch a cool sci-fi ish fantasy movie (trilogy in the making, check this out: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0403358/ (I’m hoping it’ll show, even if it’s not clickable) but just in case, IMDb “Nochnoy dozor” or “Night Watch” (“Day Watch” or “Nochnoy bazar” is the second one) Ilya, Kostya, Yuriy, Olga, Svetlana, Anton, Ignat, Darya, Simeon… I could go on. It is awesome. A bit weird at times, no one says the Russians are not faerie tale tellers but still, a great story and a really interesting watch. I’m looking for the books they were based oon in English. I want them for Xmas! Olga is Russian is gorgeous (I wish I could find someone Russian to say Ursula for me, I melt for her then!)
Alright, that a was bit of a veer off there. Back to Ivan. What I was getting at with that whole spiel is this: if you hear Ivan in Russian, you’ll never want to hear EYE-van again. 🙂 As with John, he ages well. Ivan feels stronger and a bit more distinctive than John. And I agree he’s quite a bit more dashing. I’d use it to honor the great Uncle and the other half (who’s got John in the middle for his Grandpa!). It works out nicely for us. 😀
I grew up with an Ivan and his brother Pavel – worth noting that they were two Hispanic boys with Russian names. Ivan was pronounced ee-VAHN. there was another older boy I knew who was EYE-van. He was hot (well, I remember him that way; it was 20 years ago). I like the name Ivan better with the EYE-van pronunciation. It wouldn’t be a contender because of my husband’s pesky traditional streak, but its a nice name. I definitely don’t roll my eyes at it.
What’s with everyone always saying, “I wouldn’t use [insert name here] myself, but I’d be charmed/would love to meet one”? What does that mean?
I just met a little baby Ivan recently. He was Asian-American and absolutely adorable. The name has been on my mind ever since, as well as why I don’t hear it more often. After all, it’s just one letter off from Evan, which is EVERYWHERE. Yet Ivan is tougher, more exotic and more distinguished. And I hear Ivy fairly regularly as well. So…bring on the Ivans, people! 🙂
I really have a fondness for Ivan. It’s one of the few names my boyfriend’s warmed to that I’ve talked about, although I don’t know how well it’d work in our case; he’s a Sean. I think Ivan’s a regal and distinctive choice nowadays. I much prefer the English pronunciation, although I know Lola loves ee-vahn; I love long vowels in names, I think, Is anyway. I don’t think I’d use Ivan myself, there’s many names I love more, but I would love to meet a young one!